Fumetsu (Immortal)
by Zomuro
Summary: How do you break what's already broken? Of all the legends, he is the most mysterious. A godless murderer. A heaven-sent savior. An undying monster worse than the Grimm. As Remnant is overturned by darkness, will he fight against it? Or will he stand aside as the world is consumed, just like him...?
1. Prologue: Immortal

_I love writing RWBY fanfics, in case you didn't notice._

 _I've noticed that mortals dominate the world of Remnant. So what of the immortals?_

 _An immortal can take care of himself / herself. So they haven't been killed off... yet. So logically, there should be at least one immortal walking around on Remnant. And that's what this story is about: the only immortal human in the history (and future) of Remnant. Alternate universe? Don't care._

 _Part 1 of a two part prologue? I dunno._

* * *

 **Prologue: Immortal**

* * *

The history of Remnant has seen the rise of cities, kingdoms, and empires. It has seen wars, disasters, revolutions, as well as peace, miracles, and order. It has seen the fall of sects of humanity.

It is composed of four periods, and only now are we entering the fifth.

The Golden Era. A time of hope, and the birth of humanity. A time where no Grimm existed, where humans quickly spread across the world.

The Silver Era. A time of newfound negativity as well as newfound strength. It is the era of the birth of Grimm and Faunus, as well as the cradle of legends.

The Bronze Era. A time when humanity pushed back against the Grimm with the discovery of Dust.

The Iron Era. A time when humanity found peace against the Grimm, and distrust with each other. It is the time of vicious wars, the rise and fall of dynasties, and the enslavement of the Faunus.

Just like how humans climbed up and conquered the world, so did myths.

The Four Maidens; mortal beings that controlled and safeguarded nature itself. Born in the unimaginably powerful Silver Era, it is said that the four together could lay waste to whole continents.

The Moon Goddess. A being of unimaginable power from the Golden Era that resided on the Moon. Her descendent walks Remnant to this day, shaking the world with silent, solemn power.

The Undying Hero. A man of the Bronze Age who fought war after war, and who only time could kill. His descendents, the Nikos, continue to lead Mistral during the Iron Era.

There are more myths. And like humans, some die out before their time. The Four Maidens, for example, were once all killed in one great battle with another legend.

That legend is especially is disturbing; the one legend who is still unaccounted for. Is he dead or alive? Nobody knows much... save the story and his moniker.

The Monstrosity. A being from an Era before known history. Nobody knows if he is human or a fusion of Grimm and... some unknown species. In fact, next to nothing is known, save his ferocity and his determination. His story spans Eras and is the only one of its kind. His fairytale is not particularly happy... nor is he the hero of it. In fact, it'd be wrong to call it a fairytale, but rather a grave story.

Long ago, in the Golden Era, a stranger walked into the court of King Sabaku, in the land where Vacuo now stands. The land before was completely different, filled with a lush jungle that provided food and drink of all kinds. Asking for hospitality, the stranger offered the king precious treasures he found over his travels in exchange for two weeks of hospitality. These all caught the eye of greedy King Sabaku, who agreed- and then ordered his troops to lock him deep in the dungeon.

For 13 days and nights, the stranger was fed poorly, given little to drink, tormented for hours, and forced to sleep on a bed of poisoned thorns. During all of that, the stranger did not scream or show signs of discomfort. When he starved due to the meager amount of bread he was allowed, he ate his own skin before progressing to his muscles. When he became dehydrated from lack of water, he drank his own blood, swallowed his own drool, and savored his own piss. When he was tortured, only the sounds of vile machines of pain and the frustration of the guards could be heard. And when he slept- it took much to wake him from his sound sleep.

On the 14th day, the guards took away his bed, neglected to feed and give water to the stranger, and chained him to a cross. That was a mistake.

Despite how poorly King Sabaku treated the stranger, he had always given nourishment and a place to rest, as well as entertainment, thus fulfilling the hospitality requirements (poorly). Yet the instant he ordered his death, he overstepped the line and sealed his doom.

He had not kept his promise to provide two weeks of hospitality.

In a rage, the stranger broke the mighty crucifix and slew the guards around him with the chains upon him and the splinters of wood at his feet. Ripping the bones out of the corpses in the execution chamber, he stormed towards the surface.

King Sabaku had mustered his best forces and surrounded the dungeon. He expected an easy victory. One man against millions. No contest.

The stranger won. In 14 days and nights he decimated Sabaku's elites and grunts, razed Sabaku's kingdom to the ground, and terraformed the once great land into barren sands. It went to the point where it is said that all there is left are bones. Nothing more.

His opponents could not kill him. No sword could cut him apart, no blunt weapon could crush his bones, and no Dust could stop him from slaughtering everyone.

They named him The Monstrosity, for no human could be so monstrously powerful. His bones were iron, his blood was acid, and his eyes shone with the force of the sun. Sabaku did not stand a chance.

The king ran off with his family to an allied kingdom. That proved to be a mistake. The Monstrosity pursued him, for he swore all that answered to King Sabaku's name would die.

In exactly 14 days and nights he would destroy kingdoms, rending parts and then all of what is now Vacuo a desert before finally killing Sabaku's last descendent.

He took his time (three Eras) to do so. Such a reality is shocking, yet it is true. Records clearly record an immortal being. Although his true name is lost, he has another, more fitting one: Fumetsu.

And as such, we must ask the following question: where is he?

 _\- Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon_

* * *

He awoke, slowly, chained to the wall with heavy steel chains. They held him fast, forcing him into a spread-eagled position against a spiked wall. Cold permeated through the prison chamber, chilling his already frozen limbs.

 _Oh... I'm in Atlas. Right? ... SDC label, so yeah._

Experimentally, he shook his bindings. They were taut tight- easy for him to rip from the wall.

He tried to move his body. The cold bit more viciously by the second, so he wasn't numb yet.

He frowned.

 _These guys are terrible at imprisoning me. Nobody here read any history on how to imprison me properly, let alone decently._

 _Eh, whatever. I bet they're going to execute me soon. Though if history rings true, nothing's going to work. I'll just regenerate, sass them, and maybe grab a cup of coffee._

 _You know, I like that plan. Get killed again and again, middle finger everyone, and have some hot Joe. Cool._

His eyes focused in front of him, and observed double doors. _Entrance for whoever wants to torture me... or whoever's my executioner. Wonder how creative they are?_

 _If the door's appearance is any indication, I'm disappointed. Humanity has had four Eras to figure out how to disembowel me more efficiently. It still hasn't figured out a way to keep me in the grave for even a day._

 _Don't even get me started on the graves themselves. None of them these days are remotely heavy enough to weigh me down and prevent me from breaking out. None of them are laser, acid, or fist-proof, outside and inside. And nobody bothers chaining me to the bottom of the ocean, either._

 _Humanity has gone soft._

Mentally, he continued ranting, listing out his grievances as his limbs began undergoing frostbite. First, the skin on his legs and feet began freezing, letting loose a crackling noise that only grew louder.

His temperature, according to an outside human (and Faunus) audience, should've been decreasing as his body began to fail regulating its heat. After all, now his flesh was beginning to freeze.

He should've been dead a long time ago. Yet now, the conditions before death were showing... instead of days (or weeks?) ago.

And even then, frostbite to all of his body parts wouldn't kill him. So this whole prison wasn't doing its job properly. If he could use his muscles or counter the the arctic temperatures with energy from his "fat" deposits, then Atlas was a failure. Just like the four voluptuous women who had long tried to kill him. And not the ripoffs: the originals.

His eternal memory allowed him to ignore reality around him and sink deep into sleep. A sleep made dark by even darker memories from times beyond and before.

One face appeared instantly. Her pale yet smooth and desirable skin lit up his night within. Her easy yet fashionable and sensual body, with curves that could drive men insane, seemed to prowl almost sexually towards him. Her bust jiggled up and down as if teasing him. Her beauty seemed to burn away the world around him, leaving just her up close and him alone. And her eyes of flame incarnate...

That woman, Cinder Fall... he hated her. She was the thief that tried to take from his long passed wife's tomb.

He fully submerged into his memories as he relieved his spat with the false goddess of flames.

An intricate carved gem of Dust the size of five full-grown men dominated the spacious cavern; it marked the final resting place of his spouse. Its cuts allowed light to cleanly and clearly reveal the treasure within: a woman.

Even in death she was beautiful, with her playful blonde tresses flowing like the ocean. Her fair, almost sea-foam colored skin, gleamed in the light from sun. She gave off a feeling of purity and holiness, once that calmed his disturbed soul.

She was precious to him, beyond all belief, and not just in the sentimental way. She was the only mark of a time long past, a time he wished was back. She was also a miracle of Remnant, too- for the Dust she was encased in could heal grievous wounds. Just like his Semblance-

No. That's not right. Semblance would imply that he had Aura, which was false. The force that protected Hunters and Huntresses never helped him. It never defended him.

It was more like his ability.

The pilgrims that came here were of all kinds: loud, quiet, pretty, ugly, male, female, and everything in between. But all shared one trait: politeness. They instinctively knew his relationship with the woman in the crystal, somehow. Only a few knew he was her husband. But all knew not to piss him off.

They knew him as surprisingly tolerant. Many warriors challenged him, to see if the so-called "guardian" of the miracle crystal was really who he was. Many came for not-so innocent purposes, such as swindling the pilgrims at the site. But year after year, none violated the unspoken rule.

Don't piss him off. It will end badly for you, and your family. And your direct descendants, and...

Some laughed the warnings off, at first thinking a 18-year-old "boy" sitting all day at a cave was nothing. That without even the muscles or weapons to fight back, he was harmless. Yet even they were smart enough to recognize how dangerous he was, just by how he looked at him.

Those mirror-like eyes were unreadable. For all they knew, he could've been planning their deaths from the moment he saw them.

In a way, he became famous again. The way he sat, alive, in the same exact position and place was disturbing to some, relaxing to others. He was the epitome of a guardian... at least, they thought he was.

What is a guardian who had long forsaken his job as protector? All he was doing was reflecting on his long, long life that wasn't going to end in forever.

He remembered the days passing by. And then, he met her.

The thief and her lackeys.

The way that they walked into the cavern was arrogance. The silver-haired one smirked at the prone immortal, thinking he was nothing. His smirk grew wider contemptuously as Fumetsu looked up, thinking that the old teen was afraid.

Of course Fumetsu was. He paid 10 Lien for the shirt.

The mint-haired one was a bit better. Her red eyes scanned him continuously. Even though she was a little stuck-up brat (he thought), she never dropped her guard. _Good._

But her... the one with eyes of lava. He hated her instantly. Beauty only barely covered who she really was: a power-hungry weakling that got what she wanted... and despite that wanted more.

She gave off a feeling of fire, leaving him to instinctively scoot away. _That shirt cost all my money, you know!_

Her eyes were heated, as if stripping him. That especially put him on edge. _Don't you even dare burning my jeans, you fiend. That cost me a year's worth of donations! You don't know how stingy pilgrims are!_

Her body swayed in an imaginary wind as it got closer to his. At this point, he was barely restraining himself. _If you burn any of my clothes, I swear I will hang you, witch bitch._

She smirked. "Ah... What a shame for you to sit here like this,-" she began.

"It's Bone White," he lied easily and smoothly. "Don't get it wrong."

The woman- Cinder Fall, he read with his mind's eye- drew even closer and violated his personal space even more. "Wouldn't you want something-"

With a finger he found it: her collarbone. He pushed her back a good meter with a flick before finally standing up. "Get to the chase, children," Fumetsu said, obviously annoyed. "I have better things to do than rip your arse in half."

"Like me-" Cinder began again, a little less sure of herself.

"No. You want the crystal, don't you?"

Emerald's eyes widened momentarily. Mercury tensed up ever so slightly. Cinder's eyes sharped like obsidian.

Fumetsu sighed in disappointment, like how a parent would to his teenage daughter. "You all looked past me at the crystal when you first entered. Amateurs. I've seen newbies do better than you. So-"

Cinder Fall, that brat, interrupted. With a exotic flourish of her hand, a intense inferno of incinerating flames burst forth and consumed him. Pilgrims around literally melted from the heat as lava formed within the chamber. It flowed freely.

She could hear his flesh burning without screaming. Intentional- she destroyed his voice first. No interruptions.

Elegantly, she pulled out her scroll. "Get the Dust, Adam, and I'll... reward you."

White Fang grunts stormed the holy shrine, slaughtering everyone: pilgrim, children, and fellow Faunus. Bullets rang out as bodies fell. With the Faunus terrorists came thick chains for one purpose: taking the crystal.

His wife.

There were few things that could anger Fumetsu anymore. Burnt-up clothing was simply an annoyance. But disrespecting his spouse, dead or alive?

Death penalty.

A squad leader walked up, towards the fading smoke and the crystal. He wanted to be the first to anchor it. He would be the-

"I need your clothes, boots, and gun."

He stopped suddenly as the immortal walked out of the smoke, his skin slightly raw from the baking smoke. He was naked and quite pissed off. And frankly, that he survived was enough to stop the White Fang's advance.

The White Fang captain laughed, breaking the silence. "You forgot to say please-"

Fumetsu sighed. "Just give your clothes to me, child. I have no patience for you. Make it easier on yourself and your girlfriend behind you."

The idiot reached for his shotgun. The immortal reached for the captain's head. Grip, crack, kill.

Swiftly he put on the deceased Faunus clothing, slipping on the armored vest. He took the gun. _Repeating shotgun. Better change something._

Carefully, he bent the hand guard into a more rounded shaped: an ellipse. About the shape of the head bleeding out on the ground in front of him.

A knife went into him, straight to the heart. The Faunus lieutenant stumbled forwards, expecting more resistance from the man who killed her boyfriend.

Her breath and blood burst out of her mouth as she flew back, her Aura depleted. One shot was enough to finish her.

Fumetsu turned ever so slightly and met Cinder Fall's eyes. The once confident magma eyes were in shock. He could understand why.

"Yeah, that actually did get me," he said. "But not enough to kill me. Not enough for an immortal."

Another wave of flames engulfed him- and the White Fang members around him. Cinder was sure that he'd stay down-

"Pay attention, child."

A merciless hand choked her airway closed, instantly cutting off her thoughts. She felt herself rising, then flying. Then she was crashing as stone broke behind her, crumbling into dust that stung her eyes despite her Aura. A moment sooner, she felt the swift, cool air. Relief from a monster.

Twin blades carved off the bare flesh on his back. Emerald was weaving over and under him, reaping off whatever she could before he could respond. She was good. But not good enough.

Blood spurted everywhere around him and began to eat away at the stone around him. Emerald's Aura was dropping quickly as more of the acid hit her.

She took a moment to step out of the pool of crimson. A mistake.

" **{Secret Technique: Bitch Slap}**!"

Another hole the wall appeared. The cavern began shaking ever so slightly. But he noticed.

"Dicks. You burn off my clothing not once, but twice. Then you dare steal my wife's body and desecrate her resting place," Fumetsu grumbled as again stood up, naked. Around him were ashes that discolored his raw, red skin, mixing to creating almost hypnotic swirls. It was demonic.

His bad mood only worsened as the White Fang dropped their weapons and ran. Why couldn't they stay and let themselves be beaten to death!? Everyone in the Copper Era was a pussy!

Force struck him point-blank onto his head, making him take a step forwards to keep balance. He vaguely recognized that somehow, half of his skull was cracked upon like an egg. The cranial fluid spray only a moment later confirmed his afterthought.

"Last kid to whip, eh?" Fumetsu said as he deliberately turned to the left, slowly.

A powerful kick struck him in the face, dislocating one of the hinges connecting his jaw to the rest of his skull. It didn't slow him, much less stop him as he finished rotating and faced Mercury.

"And here's the final brat, who thinks I should be dead, no?"

The silver-haired teen could only back up slowly, his legs burning. His face couldn't stay impassive, just like his old asshole pops taught him to. It didn't make sense to him.

Fumetsu understood as he used his mind's eye. The first time, Mercury had gotten a running start and performed the most vicious flying kicking he could, even nearly touching the ceiling before before descending like a meteorite. All of his Aura went into those two attacks, yet all it did was barely faze the immortal. Mercury even had a sneaking suspicion that the regenerating bastard almost didn't notice the impacts.

And from his observations, the immortal truly deserved his position of guardian. His opponent had flawless technique that could instantly take out anyone's Aura in a hit, even though Mercury could tell how relaxed his enemy's muscles were. The immortal's blood would simply eat away at the silver-haired teen's own Aura, and the resistance he felt meant that somehow his bones were reinforced with metal.

Fumetsu was playing with them from the start, acting out the part of a sandbag. A sandbag filled with cannonballs. You're fucked if you hit it, and you're fucked if you get hit by it.

"That was shit, child. You had Aura and air-time and good technique. I even gave you two openings on purpose to see how powerful you could kick. You were supposed to pop my head clean off, yet all you could do was crack a few bones and nearly break your own legs. Complete crap."

Mercury backed up, his fear finally flaring up on his face. He didn't get any further than two steps before tumbling onto his back. A beginner's mistake.

All the while, Fumetsu walked towards the fallen teen. The steps were quiet, regular, and long. Yet to Mercury, they were like earthquakes from a giant, filling him with newfound dread.

He couldn't move, despite being a cold-blooded killer. The sociopathic kicker's body refused to even shiver as Fumetsu brought one foot up.

If Mercury was the freezer, Fumetsu was absolute zero.

Down went the foot like a guillotine. Mercury's face turned to shock, then pain as the immortal's foot dismembered the silver-haired teen's left leg. It forced itself past skin, muscle, and bone like a cleaver.

"AAAARRRRGH! NO NO NO NO NO! S-STOP!"

Casually, Fumetsu ripped off his own left arm, allowing his acidic blood to cascade from his new stump. His removed appendages also bled, but it was more like a stream. Perfect for what he was going to do next.

He squeezed it experimentally, letting his blood spurt out in a rush onto Mercury's foot. Taking his time, he began corroding the sociopathic teen's last leg, the smell of flesh burning filling the air.

Screams of terror and torture again flooded the cavern before fresh White Fang members entered. Unlike the first wave, they were armed to the teeth with automatic weapons, explosives, and well-maintained blades.

It was too bad that Fumetsu was such a bad fit for them.

He tossed the dying brat over the little army of Faunus and onto Emerald. With a lazy twist of his wrist, the immortal let his arm fly at the first grunt.

A swift blade cut it down, leaving it to fall onto a miniature stone dust pile. One clean cut was clearly emblazoned onto Fumetsu's separated arm.

The immortal bent down, clutching at his stomach as if suffering from feels. These kids were utter shame. If he was their ancestor, he would have broken out of his tomb and started digging up the whole graveyard. They were that bad.

 _Maybe another immortal would be better..._

He thought about it as he stood up fully. _Never mind. If it's a female, I'm in for hell. If it's another guy, it's an eternal cock fight with a kid who watches too much shounen. So nevermind._

A spray of buckshot forced him back an inch. Despite being unkillable, even the force from a shotgun could stop him in his tracks. The modifications to his body didn't include a drastic increase in weight and mass, and thus did not increase his inertia.

He took another step forwards, only to be met by a storm of bullets fired from submachine guns. Their rate of fire made up for their lack of stopping power as his feet dragged on the stone ground.

A thought came to him as the White Fang grunts began reloading. He carefully increased his blood's pH to that of a normal human to make sure he didn't corrode all the bullets stuck in him. Fumetsu just waited for his blood pressure to increase, so he could blow up for fun.

Forward he went, against a renewed wall of metal. He gripped the floor powerfully with his toes as sniper fire jolted his head back, the high-velocity bullets cleanly tearing through his skull.

His vision focused on a sharpshooter, who promptly shot out the immortal's left eye. Yet he kept on going, slaughtering those who came too close without looking at them.

At this time, he was outside, the bright sunlight touching all with that sparkling, shining joy. It made the scene worse.

A breeze picked up, spreading the smell of warm blood across the lush green land, It only grew worse, that scent, rapidly transforming into a sickly sweet and metallic odor that made grunts heave their rations.

Residual Dust drifted in the air, making the Faunus's perception less focused. The monster they saw in front of them was just a nightmare. A super-realistic, humanoid, blood-hungry monster. There's nothing to fear.

That's right. You can get high on Dust. It's a waste of money and will kill you slightly slower than the Grimm, but it'll do the job.

Fumetsu faced the three- no, now four, thieves. Cinder Fall stood before him, her eyes smoldering with hate in that twisted elegance like molten obsidian. Emerald was tending to Mercury's wounds, and was tightening the tourniquet on his crimson-stained stump. And the fourth... well, he looked like important White Fang material. Adam, wasn't it?

 _Thank you, my mind's eye, for telling me his name._

"You weakling!" Cinder hissed. "Don't you think-"

"Don't even go there. I've heard so many typical villain snarks like 'You won't get away with this!' and 'I'm still better than you, dipshit!' and 'I'll have my revenge!' that it's annoying. Life doesn't have heroes," the immortal snapped. "Get the fuck out of my turf, brats."

A wave of stupid White Fang grunts buried him, hacking away and blowing apart his flesh. On his back, with nothing but the ground, he blew up.

Literally.

Bullets tore through the mob like sniper shots, cleanly passing through organs and bones. Fumetsu had turned himself into a shrapnel bomb, and the White Fang was suffering for it.

A torrent of flames devoured him. Fumetsu stood up and walked on. The heat wasn't even close enough to melt his bones.

"Bones of iron and blood of acid, child beware 'cause death is dancing," Fumetsu recited causally to himself. "That was a thousand years ago, written by one of Remnant's most profound poets. It's now lost writing rotting somewhere in Mistral. Oh, how time flows! Oh, the disappointment."

"Iron bones... corrosive blood..." Cinder said as realization dawned on her.

The immortal looked at the Bullheads. One grunt's head was visible as the zebra Faunus maneuvered the vehicle towards him, miniguns propped on the sides. She was just asking to die.

There was a flash of light that seared through steel and flesh. Then, the Bullhead fell with a dead crunch as it bent and broke on the bloody dirt. All that was left was a red-hot scrap of metal, fused together by the heat of the laser.

Fumetsu looked her in the eye, causing the false goddess to back away. "And eyes that shone with the force of the sun," he finished. "Don't you know who am, kid?"

"You can't be him," the red bull-Faunus replied as he gripped his blade. Adam charged up, intent on killing the human in from of him. "You're too much of a wuss. You can't even-"

"Do you know why I'm called the Monstrosity?" the immortal asked as he twisted Adam's sword-hand wrist 180 degrees the wrong way. "Well, I'll make you understand, then. Brats."

Shoving Adam onto his injured allies, he breathed in, deeply. Fresh air cleared his lungs, swirling before stopping. It was absorbed into his blood, which was once again acidic.

It was time to cause another cataclysmic disaster.

He roared.

You think that it's a done deal? That nobody was scared by that? Oh, you'd be so wrong.

Fumetsu was the Monstrosity. Not because he couldn't die, nor because he killed so easily. That roar answered the question. It was the scream of death, a bestial cry that seemed to never end and only seemed to amply within the mind. Not even the deaf or blind could stand it, because terror is universal. It could drive Hunters and Huntresses insane, and give Grimm, born of darkness, nightmares. The devil would have a heart attack at the sound, and the dead rose, just a bit.

Every myth, every legend, every hero and villain he had killed lost the moment they heard that roar. If death was a whisper, the immortal's call was a sonic boom. It felt like they had never existed.

Fumetsu was a Grimm beacon. All the fear he created was like a feast to the beings of Darkness. At least, in theory.

But Grimm learn. The eldest among the horde remembered that cry, and shook, recalling the massacre that happened hundreds of years ago. The ancient Goliath knew how its brethren were impaled on their own tusks in the snow of Atlas, and it knew the immortal could do the same to it.

So they instead turned tail and ran away from the immortal. The earth shook as a mass migration of black, white, and red began. As mindless they were, they all knew to trust the great elephant Grimm.

"If you're not out within five minutes like the buggers running off, you brats are next," Fumetsu said casually.

The Atlesian Cruisers coming in sealed the deal. Cinder gave Fumetsu one last smoldering, hateful gaze before rushing off on a departing Bullhead. Emerald managed to drag Mercury onto the airship as Adam leap onto another Bullhead.

The White Fang, so might and threatening, was broken by one immortal who's bone broke their fangs.

It was Atlas against Fumetsu. For the crew in the air with top-notch equipment, it meant killing the reason for a mass Grimm exodus, a being so dangerous it could alter Grimm migration paths.

For the immortal, it was a convenient way to return to civilization. Now that he had flipped off an entire terrorist organization, he felt disappointed at humanity and Faunuskind in general. Hopefully, Atlas would be better.

And besides, the northern continent must've changed if they have Cruisers again. So he did what any invincible man would do in his case: he put his hands up in the air.

Fumetsu got arrested.

* * *

The memory gave way to reality again, the cold gnawing at his body. His toes were frozen solid, but he was fine with that. At least the memory was enough to pass the time.

"State your name, convict," an Atlesian soldier prompted.

"Bone White, mister. Is it typical for you to put prisoners in the wild outdoors?" Fumetsu said, testing to see if he could lie his way out.

Someone else put a gun to his head. "Your real name," she said.

"I would tell you that, but it's in a language that nobody speaks anymore," the immortal replied. "Beside, Bone White is better for the modern era, eh?"

He could tell the soldier's hand was shaking. Obviously, she wasn't expecting that. "Your real name, before my finger slips," she said, again.

Fumetsu was slightly irritated. "Just shoot already, dammit. Kill the drama already- I'm immortal so no shit. Beside, I know that's a bluff. You'll shoot me in the foot, but that's it. Do it, and prove me right."

The barrel went away as the guard cursed. "F***er."

"Say the lady who fucking censors shit," Fumetsu retorted. "Seriously, why? It's not going to make you any more innocent."

"Save your words for your executioner, brat. I'm older than you," the female sergeant said.

"Then why do I know history before what's currently known in modern era libraries? Would you believe me that the tech used in your guns was invented at least 'round a thousand years ago? Or that technology in general has degenerated? That-"

A bullet rang out, shattering the left joint of the immortal's jaw. The troops stationed in the cell expected Fumetsu to stop running his mouth.

It only annoyed the immortal, who promptly regenerated from the damage. He moved his jaw left and right before he managed to wiggle out the bullet within. It popped out disgustingly, almost teasingly hitting the female soldier in the forehead.

"And what's next: ripping my mouth off?" he taunted.

A little electronic buzz caught the immortal's attention: a transmission to the soldiers. He could guess it was his execution order. When they would bring him out and show him to the public before utterly failing to kill him. After all, he'd seen this pattern hundreds of times.

One tug ripped the chains out of the wall as he hit the floor. He almost didn't notice that his toes had shattered apart like icicles hitting the pavement.

Fumetsu would regenerate it later. For now, it was time to be killed. Again.

"Get me something decent to eat. It's better to die on a full stomach."

They fed him more bullets. Fumetsu was not amused. But it was too late to get anything else, so he instead swallowed the lead and steel. Some blood dripped down into his throat- close enough to pass for water to him.

"And you didn't believe me," the immortal said.

One soldier kicked him in the nuts. He'd had that place hit so many times it barely fazed him. Hell, the four seasons personified once burned them off, electrified them to a crisp, sliced them off with a storm of leaves, and broke them into shards with sub-Atlas temperatures. But just to entertain the platoon surrounding him, armed to the teeth, he pretended to feel it.

"Fuckers!" he acted, screaming in mock pain as he thrashed on the ground violently. The guards were too easily fooled. He could've just blown up and killed them all.

The female sergeant who was once frustrated with Fumetsu laughed mockingly. "Shut up and we'll kick you less," she offered innocently.

Another foot stabbed into Fumetsu's testicles. The immortal let loose another fake cry of agony. It was easy: make it as loud as possible and sound like you're dying.

Then the guns came out, and the immortal finally decided he had enough of their bullshit. They were supposed to execute him in public, after all.

At this rate, he might as well be named "Raging Young Grandpa". He couldn't hear anything (courtesy of a Dust grenade), see anything (flashbang), and smell anything (his nose was blown off). What's next, feeling nothing-

Oh wait. Now he's numb. Convenient.

"Aren't you supposed to execute me in public?" he asked rhetorically. "At this rate, you'll have no ammo left to shoot me with."

The ringing in Fumetsu's ears meant that he couldn't make out any words. His vision was still too bright for his taste, and he was sure someone had already blown out his brains.

Then again, there's no nerves in the brain or skull. Add numbness, and even the experienced immortal was unsure. But he could taste blood.

His backups sensory systems at least could work, but he didn't want to show the unworthy soldiers anything new. So he waited patiently for his vision to clear up. With the fluid in his semicircular canals swirling, his balance was off so he couldn't tell if he was still standing upright.

The air tasted fresher than the stale frozen breeze in the prison. But there were off tastes: smoke, iron, and Dust. Somebody's been having too much fun polluting the air.

That told Fumetsu a few things. One, his nose had regenerated, since flavor was made up of taste and smell. Two, he was finally going to be executed! Three, Atlas had changed a lot.

He remembered when he first saw the kingdom of ice. An ice spire that pierced up to the heavens seemed to reach up, emanating majesty and power. The chants of the people that resided it as they burst out at him with fire, ice, and lightning. The crushing pressure from a legend, for which Fumetsu only held in growing contempt.

From the pure air to the polluted skies, the immortal had seen the north rise. Yet Atlas's towers of steel did not impress him.


	2. Yī: (Let there be) Light

_OC x OC. Better that way, for the path to immortality is creation itself. In other words, I've been reading too much wuxia- no wait, xianxia._

 _Oh! You don't know what it is? In general, it's a world of peerless geniuses, OP MCs, and repetitive plot with MC 420-wrecking everyone. Makes me wonder why I'm still read it. Of course, there's exceptions._

 _If you want an easier explanation, it's like bad, predictable shounen._

 _Sorry for the whole rant, but that's a little issue I have. Doesn't stop me from reading and seeing if it gets any better. If you want to try it out, just search up "Zhan Long" and "The King's Avatar". You might consider this advertising, but I swear they're worth reading. Even if one of them is what not to do and what to do when writing (in my opinion). They're translated from Chinese._

 _Some Chinese up ahead, by the way:_

 _Zhīdào: "know". When used, it is implied as "I know"_

 _Yéyé: "grandpa"_

 _As for writing this, my deities! All hail_ _ **andy2396**_ _and_ _ **Xera Stark**_ _!_ _Read their stories_ _ **Hero of Remnant / Hero of Remnant: Veil of Aether**_ _and_ _ **XSRA's Flame**_ _. Do it now! NOW!_

* * *

 **Yī** **: (Let there be) Light**

* * *

"What would you like to order today, ma'am? We have teas, coffees, and a new shipment of juices from Vacuo."

The younger Schnee sister looked up from her menu, sighing as she had to make her decision. Her palate struggled to pick between cool, sweet, spiced, and smooth. "I will take some Earl Grey, thank you. I would like some cream and sugar, just in case," Weiss replied.

Brown, earthy eyes met sky blue eyes. Both were equally beautiful. But they belonged to two different people who were on good terms with each other.

Weiss Schnee was an almost ethereal angel, her snow white hair fluttering delicately in a cool breeze. Her face and skin were pale like clouds, heavenly in nature like her elegant petite frame. She radiated the fragility and beauty of a snowflake, frozen in the winter air and in time. And those eyes seemed to hold holiness in them. (They didn't.)

In contrast, the waitress was nearly the antithesis of Weiss Schnee. Her short hair, like the branches of a cypress tree, was entangled and messy in a way that was beguiling; it was nature that wove together into near-matchless beauty. Her skin, though almost as pale of Weiss's, was reminiscent of white jade: pure, mystical, and enchanting. Like the jewel, she was pricelessly eye-catching. And I refuse to go into her bust size, so one word: big.

Cute, angelic petite girl versus hot, tomboyish girl. Men would've been fighting over them if they weren't capable fighters on top of their looks.

Weiss was an expert fencer, capable of dismantling defenses with perfected jabs and slashes. Added with her masterful use of Glyphs, and it was next to impossible to land a clean hit on her.

And the other lady- take my word for it. She's good. The last time someone tried to steal her weapon, he broke his foot when he dropped it on his shoe. And that was when he had full Aura!

"One Earl Grey, with cream and sugar. Enjoy your drink, please."

The average Atlesian citizen would've believed that was it. That the rich heiress wouldn't associate with the poor waitress no more than necessary. They'd be wrong.

"Thank you. How is business going today?" Weiss politely but gently asked. A small smirk graced her face.

The waitress snorted in mock disapproval. "Weiss, you know how it is. We've been beyond full capacity ever since you've become our patron."

"Need I say thank you, Lady Xuan?" the younger Schnee sister teased.

"Hmph! It's Li Xuan. Please get it right."

The difference in outfits were stark. One was delicate like ice, white and reminiscent of that of a princess's. The other was a maid's outfit, too small at the upper chest area and too short at the thigh area. You can imagine the rest.

All the while, the audience admired the two teenage girls, who were engaged in a battle of wills. One could imagine half of the cafe freezing over and the other half shaking in a earthquake.

Then the loudspeaker broke the fantasy. "We have captured the cause of the Grimm migration. 'Class 1: Alert' status is now 'Class 0: Peaceful'. If you are interested in seeing it, please come to Central Plaza."

Most of the crowd shuffled off in half reluctance and half interest westward. So did the two young ladies, who continued to bicker and tease each other.

A testing jab. "Is Lady Xian actually interested in this kind of show?" Weiss wondered out loud.

An easy parry. "It's my break time. I do what I want with it, Weiss," Li Xian replied. "If anything, you're fangirling a bit over this, aren't you? Besides, everyone else is going. A bit of advertising won't hurt business."

A twirl and a spinning blade. "What if it's a man? You never know, Lady Xian. He might be the love of your life."

A step back, then a slash from the right. "It's not a guy. I doubt he or it will be human."

A simple yet final riposte. "But you wish, don't you? I mean, I've seen that look on your face when one of my suitors came along. You were... let's say really disappointed. And I thought I hated them."

Defeat. Li Xian's face reddened a bit before she shook it off. "Zhīdào, zhīdào, I get it," she said softly. "But it'd be nice to have someone to rely on... I mean, support is always nice. At least you have a family."

Weiss nodded a bit. "Either way, we're seeing him in the plaza."

"And I keep on telling you-" Li Xian started.

 _ **I smell coffee on you... wait, what's your name?**_

"Huh?"

The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company turned. "Something wrong?" she tentatively asked.

"No... just thought I heard somebody... a guy," the waitress admitted.

 _ **You**_ _ **do**_ _**realize this is a mind-to-mind conversation, right? You'll see me in the central plaza.**_

 _Shut up. Who are you?_

Both Weiss and Li Xian found a good spot to watch the proceedings and stood, waiting. Well, except that now Li Xian was talking to somebody in her mind.

 _ **Hmm... I'm tempted to say "somebody good at not freezing to death in sub-zero Atlesian temperatures", but you can tell. I'm the event.**_

 _You... wait, you're the-_

" _ **Thing" on parade? The one who caused a mass Grimm migration and made Atlas lie about the Grimm danger rating? Yep.**_

 _Wait, what do you look like?_

 _ **You'll be able to tell. If you're hopeless enough, though... well, I can always escape. And yes, I'm a guy, in case you couldn't tell by my voice in your head.**_

 _Well, that's reassuring. You could be a little more helpful about this... like, your name, your age, where you come from, and so on._

 _ **Those aren't questions you exactly ask in first meetings. I mean, "Oh, I just met you! How old are you, so I can make sure I can legally marry you" and bull like that.**_

Li Xian's face momentarily tinged red before she regained control, nearly missing the next part.

 _ **But over a free cup of coffee, I'll spill. Deal?**_

 _You're paying. No exceptions._

 _ **Um... what if I do a favor for you?**_

 _You wouldn't be able to pay for transport fees, registration, and everything else._

 _ **You mean pay to go to a Huntress school? That's child's play if you're me.**_

 _I think you're lying._

 _ **Think of me like the devil. I don't need to deceive you: you go to Hell just fine. Or Heaven, for you I guess.**_

 _Just... shut up. You're probably some old grandpa._

 _ **You'd be surprised...**_

"Look!" Weiss whispered into Li Xian's ear, bringing the curvaceous warrior waitress back to reality. "It's here."

"He," Li Xian corrected automatically.

Soldiers, armored in steel outfits that gave them humanoid shape, waved to the audience, the only thing revealed by their armor smiling in a curve. They had ceremonial blades that Li Xian knew had function, and guns that definitely had practical use.

 _ **Just in case the crowd gets too wild, eh? Those weapons are unloaded for now.**_

She shook off the intruding thought. _You're wrong._

 _ **I'm wrong, when Atlas literally had war around... a few decades ago? They don't teach you this in history class. Order is important, even if you need guns and steel to beat it in.**_

 _Fine, fine, yéyé. I'll let you tell stories._

 _ **Or you could just meet me? I mean, I do enjoy tea but coffee's more to my taste these days.**_

 _Shut up! I bet you really are just a creepy guy!_

Li Xian spotted a little holding of men glancing over at her. _You're in the audience, aren't you?_

 _ **I wish! That way, I could actually go out for that coffee. But naw. I'm still walking 'round. Like I said, you'll be able to tell who I am**_ _._

 _I don't believe-_

Time slowed to a heartbeat as she made eye contact with him. The teenager her age, with blonde, starlike hair and brown eyes-

No. The one past him, who was chained to the largest weight she'd ever seen and had guns trained on him.

Li Xian remembered the feeling she got when she'd met Weiss's suitors. They were good-looking, sure, but they gave off a sort of aura that she instinctively stayed away from. The way the men stared at her, stripping her with their eyes didn't help. And their arrogance and jockeying to be number one in her heart: just... bad.

She remembered her parent's advice: you will know what everything is in time. Wisdom cannot be forced, only understood.

At first, she thought it meant in regard to her Semblance. Some thought it was **Foundation** , full name **Foundation Establishment** , like she told everyone: an ability that strengthened the people around her. But her true ability... was **Cultivation**. A Semblance that could grow stronger, and in turn make the possessor of it stronger.

It used to be at the **Condensation** stage, full name **Qi Condensation**. It was simple: the ability to compact energy from Dust and the ambient atmosphere around her into power for herself.

The beauty had thought that was it. But then she met an enigma who swept her off her feet.

Their eyes met, mirror-like gazing into earthy brown. His eyes seemed to read her like a scroll, whilst hers couldn't detect anything behind his silvery irises.

He was young, around 18, maybe 19. Judging from the height of the soldiers escorting him, he was around 5'10". Underneath the thin shirt and pants he wore was a medium tanned body so perfect, so sculpted with muscle and yet so slender. His timeless face was framed by longish black hair that fluttered a bit in the winter wind. A little golden, round, earring hung from his left lobe, indistinct yet familiar. And his sardonic smile...

Li Xian's mother once taught her the different types of good-looking boys, in case her daughter was ever interested in one of them. There was the cute, the gentle, and the seductive. While there were many sub-types, those were the three main kinds.

The warrior-turned-waitress could safely say he was all three. His body screamed sex appeal, as did his face, almost as if he was the Devil beckoning her to bed. Yet he was also adorable, his slender frame and mischievous smirk reminiscent of the cats she took care of. There was tenderness too, almost imperceptibly hidden behind his mirror-like eyes.

The warm feeling in her heart was love. Li Xian was sure of it.

* * *

爱|永|讨厌

* * *

Fumetsu was mildly surprised. He'd never expected the barista to be so beautiful, so heavenly. (Not angelic.)

The immortal, throughout his long life, had met many earth-defying flowers, all of whom could snatch the heart of any man. The women couldn't take his, though. He'd seen so many of them (and was even married to one of them) that they seemed to fade into the background.

Making out with an angel does that to you. And with the opposite sex so unimportant to him as the years went on, he could control his libido at will. Not even Li-

You know what? I'm not going to lie: Fumetsu was really, really caught off guard by Li Xian.

Fumetsu could describe more about the heavenly being in front of him than the damn narrator / author. Her skin was smoother and more vibrant that white jade, lending an air of vitality to her that few women seemed to have. That alone would've made her beautiful. But that wasn't all to the 5'6" elf-like lady.

Li Xian's body type was slim and voluptuous, her bust size nearly bursting out of her cheap maid costume and her curves alluring. Her oak-brown shoulder-length hair was tangled, like the twisting branches of a violet wisteria tree in full bloom. And her eyes: he couldn't stop looking into them. They were earthy brown, like the damned author said, but they had flecks of leaf green in them which fascinated the weary immortal. They were jewels more precious than diamond.

Her face was perfect in the sense that nature was perfect: tranquil, soothing, and powerful. A beauty mark below her right eye, a little imperfection, only served to elevate her charm beyond the mountains and the sky.

The sight before him, though, wasn't what made his heart skip; it was the hidden roots. A warrior shone through Li Xian's mesmerizing eyes and her very body, her curves concealing powerful muscle and expert skill. A sizable concentration of Earth Dust swirled in the jian at her side. And beyond her eyes lied cunning and the intelligence of a commander.

 _Damn._

Fumetsu almost didn't notice the sudden pull that nearly jerked him off his feet. The force seemed to drag him away from her. From coffee.

From something more...

 _You mind staying and watching? I don't know where your cafe is._

Li Xian's voice spoke in his head. _**And why should I? I mean, you're clearly considered a criminal.**_

The immortal rolled his eyes as he dug his feet into concrete. _A "criminal" that's good at lying, mind you. I've had a lifetime's worth of practice._

 _ **Maybe you should fake your death. You know, so they leave you free.**_

 _Oh, that's easy. Fooling the guards, not so easy. They've already found out about that around three hours ago. Lots of bullets to the face._

 _ **Wait, what?**_

Fumetsu smirked a bit. _Yeah. How could somebody as impossibly good looking as me look fine after skin-shredding, point-blank puncturing, ballistic bullets? I'm not telling you until I get a drink._

 _ **Y-You insufferable-**_

 _Oh, shut up. I wasn't even trying to tease you there, and now you're steaming up._

A female soldier forced the immortal onto his knees, discreetly severing the muscles on the back of his legs so he couldn't stand back up. To keep the act, Fumetsu clenched his teeth hard and pretended to contain a scream.

 _ **W-What are t-they doing to you?**_ Li Xian's voice nervously asked.

The immortal shrugged before somebody forced a horse bit into his mouth. _Oh, they slashed some muscles. They're getting ready to execute me._

He felt the iron jamming into the space between his back teether, slicing into his gums and forcing his teeth apart. The skin that covered his jaws began to open up, cut by the dull bit. Inch by inch, the bridle pulled him back, gouging deeper through his jaw.

To keep up the act, he roared and slashed his tongue on the bit, convulsing and "desperately" trying to rip off the humiliating device. He tugged on the chains, shaking the street as the massive weight behind him danced.

Fumetsu could see the people around him. Five caught his interest.

The first, a general. Ironwood. A cyborg, judging by his almost-human movements on his right side.

The second, an Atlesian Specialist assigned to Ironwood. Her face was cold like winter- which was her name.

The third, the Specialist's younger sister. Elegant, indeed- but not worth as much attention.

The fourth, a prince of some sort. Mistralian, from the direct bloodline of the king. Could be dangerous, given the feeling his Aura gave the immortal. It was a deadly dream that could come true any moment.

And the fifth, Li Xian-

 _Get your head out of the gutter, Fumetsu. You didn't come here to fall in love. You came here to get one cup of coffee and go your merry way. Besides, you've still have her!_

His heart slowed marginally, then began splitting. _Ah, shit... and now I'm in love with two people. One of them is in suspended animation in a crystal and the other is a hot barista. Crap._

 _I lost._

A slap brought him back to reality. Well, not the hand hitting his face kind- more like the hand dislocating his jaw kind. Again.

"We have captured the source of the Grimm migration! A dangerous humanoid Grimm in our midst!"

The Atlesian people approved, glaring at the relaxed immortal. Fumetsu took it in stride- well, would have taken it in stride if he wasn't acting.

Lying was easy for him. So was lying well. Telling the truth was even easier. When you're an immortal living out eternity, consequences fall away from you. Nothing a mortal makes lasts forever, with one exception... (I'm not telling you. Go figure it out yourself.)

 _ **Are you okay? Tell me!**_

 _Hmm? What?_

Li Xian's voice burst into his mind. _**I've been trying to get your attention for the whole time! What the heck happened!?**_

 _Uhh... good acting skills?_ Fumetsu fibbed.

 _ **You're dying, idiot!**_

The immortal could imagine her rolling her eyes, those entranc- GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THERE! _I am? Then why am I still talking to you?_

 _ **Because you're about to die from this! Just escape already! I mean, aren't you super strong?**_

He scoffed. _Well, not right now. Besides, I find this entertaining. Fooling people this easily is amazingly therapeutic. Not to mention the booing works well as an alarm clock. Mind you record this for me?_

Something from the audience hit him in the face. They were brown and smelled like they were freshly roasted- coffee beans. Fumetsu opened his mouth and let a cascade of the caffeine source fill his mouth. They were a bit sweet and tasted like chocolate with a hint of strawberry.

 _Thank you!_

 _ **Shut up! I felt a little mercy, that's all.**_

 _Then next time, make me work for it. Please?_

A scream of anger, then fear. The immortal sighed in disappointment as the audience scattered in the face of the Faunus organization's fangs.

 _I just beat them up a few days ago! And they attack again! Jeez, what jerks._

 _ **You could be a little more helpful here, you know...**_

 _Huh? Aren't you-_

 _ **Me and my friend are being attacked. Just look for me.**_

 _Let me guess: Weiss Schnee, out there in the open? Yeah, the White Fang wouldn't waste a chance like this. Unfortunately, they had to meet me again._

 _ **Wait, what?**_

Fumetsu bit through the bit and tore his hands off before leisurely walking towards Li Xian, leaving behind the near-frozen monolithic weight behind him. His wrists slipped through the manacles, letting the steel links fall and clatter in a pool of blood. For a moment, everyone stopped to stare at an impossible scene- the prisoner ripped off his own hands like it was nothing, and walked as if his muscles were never slashed.

 _ **H-How!? What are you doing?! Aren't you-**_

 _If you don't mind, I'm going to be beating these little brats up. Don't worry about it. I'll regenerate. They won't._

And just like that, he dove back into combat, his hands and tongue growing right back.

Left straight. The blow blasted the White Fang captain down the street and into a whole platoon of the Faunus terrorists.

High back kick. The poor rhino Faunus that took the blow felt his face break all at once before unconsciousness took him.

Straight knee. Let's just say the poor avian Faunus wasn't going to have kids.

Fumetsu was just waiting for the White Fang, daring them to take out their guns and fire. He knew they had already shot a few Atlesian citizens, but he wanted to see just how arrogant the White Fang force was.

As it turned out, they were way too confident, especially considering there was at least one Specialist and a general. Which reminded him...

The immortal raised his arm up and deflected a blade with his forearm, letting the metallic bones stop the weapon. "About time you got here, Winter Schnee," he said. "Don't you have better things to do?"

Instead of a proper answer, the saber danced, again striking him hard in the head. It then stopped in realization.

"You... don't... have Aura?" Winter whispered in horror.

 _No shit, kid!_

Nonchalantly, Fumetsu nodded. "Pretty much. Don't worry, this won't kill me."

On cue, the slashed flesh regrew, cells filling the dearth of skin and muscle till it appeared like nothing had ever happened. No discoloration, no cut, no blood, nothing.

With his silver eyes, he examined Winter's sword. "That's a good saber, kid. Mind I borrow it?"

 _Or more like "steal it for the whole battle?"_

And before the Specialist could respond, he snatched the weapon from her momentarily relaxed hands. Experimentally, he performed some thrusts and cuts.

"Thank you for the donation, kid. I'll give this back to you later," Fumetsu said as he turned back to the Faunus-brought chaos. "Call in some military, by the way."

He slipped away, narrowly avoiding a few bullets that clipped his shirt. It was just a little battle that roared around him now. It was nothing like the Grimm invasions he faced a long time ago...

Ones that he never fought in...

Ones that he always healed in...

Ones that changed forever when he became immortal.

But now wasn't the time to remember the past. He needed some coffee, and a damn strong one too. It didn't hurt that Li Xian was going to brew it.

By then, the White Fang had fully landed in Atlas, stirring up fear that only rose with each shot fired. Despite that, no Grimm came close to Atlas's walls. They seemed to hit an invisible barrier before turning tail and making a mockery of a whimper. It would've been heartbreaking if they weren't Grimm.

The Grimm knew, and the Grimm remembered. Stay away from humanity, and you will live. Stay away from _him_ , and you will die anyway.

Back in the battle. The immortal had reached the front lines. Shops were wrecked into makeshift bunkers as the White Fang rapidly captured tactical zones.

Lazily, Fumetsu sidestepped to the right, catching a soaring feline White Fang member with a swift left hook to her face. The shattering of Aura and the satisfying sound of flesh hitting flesh filled him with boredom.

No, seriously. He'd done just that thousands of times.

Three grunts surged towards him, all with their blades ready for an overhead slash. They were slow, in his eyes- but he waited patiently, bringing his borrowed saber up to shoulder height and pointing it outwards, as if dictating who was next to die. It wasn't any secret technique.

It was psychological warfare.

 _One with the wind that weaves and reaps. A gentle breeze- or a brutal gale._

 _ **W-What are you saying...**_

Fumetsu didn't respond. He was too busy manipulating the battle towards him.

A gust hit the Faunus terrorists in the knee, bringing with it their blood. The crimson liquid splattered onto the cold concrete before slowly chilling.

The immortal let them scream and claw at their ruined, crippled joints. He needed to get all of the White Fang's attention on him. Aggro, wasn't it?

Well, at full power it was easy as saying "hey". But he wanted a challenge to alleviate the ennui. He wanted to use violence to attract a legion of bloodthirsty Faunus- no wait, that'd be too easy.

Assassination. That'd be nice.

He spotted two particularly large lion Faunus battering away at Weiss Schnee and Li Xian. Both of the terrorists seemed to be clothed in sleek metallic plating. Modified Atlesian soldier's armor. In a typical case, it increases strength and durability to just below that of a typical Hunter/Huntress in training. In the White Fang's case, though, it provided thrice the strength and power.

Fumetsu could tell the twins did a shoddy job with the power armor. Wiring stuck out like bloody thumbs to an observant eyes, and the plating was subpar at best. Coverage was reduced to a minimum, and the storage area was cannibalized into a glorified pocket.

Easy.

The saber flew behind him, landing at the feet of Winter Schnee as Fumetsu became the wind again, twisting around the White Fang terrorists silently. He was invisible, but he was there.

Momentarily, Weiss backed away from one of the lion twins as a slight blur appeared in from of the Faunus. She couldn't breach the armor properly since the Faunus kept on moving around, activating his strength-increasing Semblance when the going got tough.

Li Xian did the same. Although she had slightly more success with her opponent since she managed to dent the armor, she was frustrated. Her opponent had too good of a survival sense, so he always managed to take a blow somewhere else. And plus...

Both of the ladies were tired. The large squadron that they took out managed to wear away their Aura to yellow. And while their opponents couldn't hit them, it didn't mean their Aura was getting any better.

 _Hey, Li Xian?_

 _ **What is it? I'm tired.**_

Her voice was pure like a mountain spring's and beautiful like a nightingale's song- STOP THINKING ABOUT HER!

 _Still have enough energy to brew coffee?_ he managed to ask.

 _ **Wha-**_

Fumetsu cut her off as he suddenly appeared in front of the twins. _A sudden appearance of a mysterious being sows surprise, then fear if played correctly._

The lions stopped, losing momentum as they tried to process who the hell was interrupting their fight.

 _Next, increase your threat level. Grant them a noticeable injury._

Like lightning he snatched a weapon from each of the terrorists: a giant bloody, rusted cleaver and a chipped broadsword with a Fire Dust crystal embedded into the blade. Two heavy weapons from heavy opponents.

At the same time, he crushed the twin's sword-hand fingers so they couldn't make even a fist.

 _ **H-How!? What are-**_

 _Like I said, Li Xian, I'll be fine. This really isn't enough to be called a bit a stretching. I'm good._

 _ **No you aren't! Even if you defeat the White Fang by yourself, which is near impossible, then you have to deal with Atlesian Knights! And if you manage to get past that, then-**_

 _Change in plan, then, since you're so worried about me._

And with that he plunged the two crushing weapons hilt-deep into the steel and concrete pavement. Resolutely, he took Li Xian's face and kissed her. Heaven on earth.

It was short. It was life-changing.

Fumetsu finally returned to the battle, his thoughts quelled as he prepared a left knife hand. The love that stirred in his ancient heart stood still... for now.

Li Xian was still lost in that moment. It wasn't fair.

* * *

爱|永|讨厌

* * *

They knew fear.

Grimm surrounded Atlas, threatening to overtake one of humanity's homes. Yet they didn't attack. They couldn't.

There was fear and despair behind those walls of paltry stone. But it was beyond reach. The Grimm knew that.

They were supposed to be next to emotionless, vicious killers of the night. They were murderers, beasts of human evil. They were nightmares given form and power.

They were bone and darkness. They were the Grimm. They were endless.

So why did they fear _him_?

The ancient ones stood the farthest away from the Kingdom, clearly disturbed. They were great Goliaths and Nevermores, the beings that Hunters and Huntresses were terrified of. How could they not tell _he_ was there?

He, the true monster.

There he was, a eternal spring of bloodlust and anger. An abyss filled with despair, sadness, _madness_. The ancient beacon of negativity he sent out could be felt across all of Remnant. It was an old grudge, a unfulfilled vengeance that had lived beyond the world's time.

 _Hate_. Even if dressed in other human emotions, it was still hate.

And that hate was on the Grimm, clawing towards them ceaselessly. It seemed to lash at them, taking with every attack an unfortunate Beowolf or Ursa.

There was nothing the darkness could do.

Silently, somehow, they retreated and left humanity alone. The taste of human darkness was not worth the insanity of the immortal.

Their unlife was important. Their death was, too.

* * *

And again, Fumetsu was bored, stuck in the claws of ennui.

He sat upon a pile of Faunus, beaten halfway between life and death. In his fingers twirled a little trench knife he found on one of the recruits.

The immortal spat out acidic blood that both ate away at the stone and the newly forming ice. A few bones broken, a lung punctured, and a pancrea on the verge of failing. Terrible. They should've been able to turn him into a skeleton stripped of all flesh. All their strength was just talk. In the end, they were nothing but moving dummies he practiced on.

Well, to be honest, they weren't even useful for that either. They were too fragile. He could've snapped them in half by patting them on the back.

They could've just died by his hand. But that'd be too kind, eh? Living is hell.

It wasn't just the urge to torment the White Fang members, though. One of them was bat-shit crazy, almost fervently chanting freedom as he cut down men and women.

"Freedom-"

Without hesitation Fumetsu jammed the trench knife into the pig Faunus's back, taking his time to push the blade, hilt, and grip into his victim's body. The scream of pain ended just as slowly.

Happiness? Freedom? Those were the two words he detested the most.

If he was happy, would he be here to essentially commit suicide? Would he smile just like in the past with the woman he loved? Would he be here, causally committing war atrocities? Would he be here in what was essentially his hell? Would he be here, eternally questioning his purpose in his endless life?

If he was free, would he be alive? Would his dead wife torment him?

Would he be happy?

No.

The gods above took away his life and sentenced him to a living death. And because of that, Fumetsu became eternal. But it didn't help. Even after he slaughtered the high fuckers, he still lived on.

The Four Maidens. They died a thousand times by his hand. He remembered how their hearts beat with the force of nature, like the rhythm of waves, before he crushed them. Their thunder and fire became his unceasing wrath as he murdered them with their own weapons. The once pure women became unnatural shells of themselves once he sowed despair and death into their virgin bodies.

The Undying Hero. The puny mortal died a million times by him. Fumetsu ripped him to pieces and slaughtered his family, before hunting him and the rest of the bastards till the end of the world. His "heroics" disgusted the immortal. Hero? Savior? Messiah? More like selectively blind genocidal asshole who banged so many women it was like he was an Arc: the manwhore had 7 sextuplets for kids.

 _Why can't I be happy?_

Heaven spat in his face, so he returned the favor a thousand fold. But the damage was long done.

 _If you take away what is mine, I'll just erase you._

He held his head, cradling it familiarly like he had done it an infinite number of times.

 _You took away my wife, brats of the dark. That's why I slaughter you._

 _You took away my death, gods. That's why I murder you._

 _You took away my freedom, Fate. That's why I fuck you up._

 _Don't you realize? This is why I am a immortal. Because all a immortal can do is take._

And then the tears fell, like they had across countless worlds. So much happiness around him, yet he could only watch.

He was jealous of the happy couples, envious of the laughing, and heart-broken by the smiling families. All things ended. So they were normal. Accepted. Constantly bitching "I don't want to die" and the sort.

He was not. An immortal. Perpetually 18. Maimed by the horrors of a thousand universes. Things stopped around him, but he couldn't turn back. Time only moved forwards in a spiral- going nowhere.

Even when he was so powerful, he was so helpless. His wishes were beyond him to fulfill.

 _ **Hey. Are you listening?**_

 _Li Xian, what is it? I'm not in the mood, okay..._

 _ **You're in the mood for a cup of coffee. Just follow me. It's free.**_

A hand weaved its way into his own, grasping his right hand softly. Li Xian pulled a little bit. "Come on. Please don't mope around like this..."

The immortal looked up and met those eyes. They helped a little bit.

"You idiot... here."

"Li Xian, what-" Fumetsu began.

He shut up as she hugged him, comforting him. Her hands rubbed circles onto his back, kneading out tense muscles and radiating warmth. Head on his shoulder, she sighed, her (hot?) breath sending tingles down his back.

"Better?" she whispered as she shifted towards his front.

Fumetsu wrapped her arms around her in kind, making her jump a bit immediately. He brought her closer, closing his eyes and letting his head rest a bit on her head. She smelled like jasmine. Calm.

"Yeah... Thanks," he replied.

Li Xian's voice was nervous, her face red like roses. "A-Any time..."

Smirking, he played with her hair a bit. "I guess I really needed that. It's been... wow. Hundreds of years. Maybe 'cause I was sitting in a cave for such a long time..."

His heart beat faster. There she was, her elegantly messy brown hair floating in the wind as her earthy eyes gazed into his mirror-like ones. The sun poured onto her, revealing her beauty to space.

A little light in the darkness. The proper word... she was a beacon.


	3. Ѐr: Severing Day and Night

_Wow. I took a while. Mainly because I wanted to write long and hard (which is really difficult for me!) and writing something nobody couldn't BS. I thought this fanfic this out._

 _*/If you hate the MC, don't worry: I know he can be a dick. See, I just said it. You think he's bitching about his life? That's exactly what he's doing. Life is so much more! It's why death means so much. If you've never lived, you'll never die (metaphorically)._

 _I know, that sounded like a rant. But to be honest: this fanfic is an acquired taste. I'm fine if you love it or hate it. Just tell me why, in detail, and I'll treat you seriously./*_

 _/end psuedo-rant._

 _More Meanings:_

 _\- Qì: "life force", "energy". Commonly used to strengthen oneself._

 _\- Dao: "Path". In a sense, a person's beliefs and how they choose to live their life._

 _ **WARNING! THIS CHAPTER GETS REALLY GORY. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.**_

 _I blame Goblin Slayer._

* * *

 **Ѐr: Severing Day and Night**

* * *

"You're courting death, puny mortal! I am Jīng Rén! I am a Spirit Severing Patriarch, while you're just an ignorant fool! For my First-"

"Severing, you nearly died while trying to split day and night. Copycat. God already did that," Fumetsu said, yawning at the powerful figure's words. "Your Dao was already tread, and yet you say you'll be the most powerful cultivator ever. I find that hard to believe. 'Mirror Man' indeed."

"Says a child who can't even cultivate."

The immortal rolled his eyes at the idiocy of the narcissist. "Even a child can fuck up your Dao. First of all-"

"Hmph! Then do your best, brat!"

The old man floated into the sky, flying. Disciples on the mountain where Fumetsu was at looked up and whispered amongst themselves.

"Before you can fight my master, you must prove yourself!"

And then it all went to shit. Fumetsu turned to face women, all nice and pretty and undoubtedly personally picked by a pedophillic grandpa. They had full breasts, exposing clothes, a lack of modesty, sex appeal, blah blah blah NEXT!

The pressure they exerted on him would've normally crushed a man's body into a crippled mess. Anybody below their Foundation Establishment stage cultivation would've felt themselves suppressed. They were superhumans to regular mortals.

He barely noticed that. What he did notice was how the ladies looked at him. A bit too predatory. They must've thought that he had a lot of treasures. Either that or they wanted him for themselves.

"You done yet? Nothing? Okay. Then it's time to rip your fucking master a new one."

The leading woman, a young 18 year-old with breasts the size of grapefruits, burst. "Why you- Flame Geyser!"

Fumetsu could sense the Qì forming beneath him as it wove into fire that burned like hell. Well, not literally and not really. Hellfire was slightly annoying. This heat would be like stepping into a warm shower to knead out knots in his muscles. Which reminded him how he stopped feeling sore after a few thousand years...

Reds and yellows consumed the immediate world around him, then his eyes. This finally made him give a shit.

"And you had to burn off my clothes," Fumetsu half-groaned and half-growled.

His flesh regrew, fat and muscle forming on silvery metallic bones before giving way to layers of skin. The immortal looked absolutely fine...

... except that he was buck naked. Again.

"You're paying for it."

Irritation rose as all the women looked away, their faces madly red. It was their fault, so they should deal with the consequences.

So he grabbed the fire bitch by the head and brought him to his apathetic balls. He watched her squirm before she froze in shock and embarrassment, then went into unconsciousness with a nosebleed.

"Big... t-" she muttered.

"And there'll be typical female-to-male insults," Fumetsu predicted as he turned his ass away from the ladies.

"Pervert!"

"S-Shameless b******!"

"Y-You damn s-streaker, a-are you l-looking to d-die!"

"Demon King, I-I'll m-make you p-pay for t-this!"

Oh, one of the girls had to talk about money. Money that he didn't have, but they sure did in the form of Dust. He could sell that pure shit to the kingdoms for so many gold bars. Hell, he could've sold it to the damn Schnee Dust Company a world over. "YOU SHOULD BE PAYING FOR MY CLOTHES, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Fumetsu shouted for the millionth time. "I'VE WORKED MY ASS OFF LONGER THAN YOUR MASTER, AND ALL I GET IS A PAIR OF PANTS! GROW UP!"

It went underheard as, with red faces, all the women charged and striked.

"T-Ten Earth F-Fists!"

"F-Five Thunder S-Soldiers T-Thrust!"

"69 G-Grasping W-Waves!"

The list, with their vaguely sexual names, somehow annoyed the immortal even more. He really wanted to be anywhere else but here, out in the mountains somewhere north of Atlas.

He wove left and right, bringing down the women a notch through exploitation of their modesty. In other works, he stole their clothes.

What? If they weren't going to pay for it, he'd have to take matters into his own hands! If that means tearing up women's robes to cover up a large dangler, then so be it! Besides, what's the issue with showing nipples!? If boys could do it, so could girls!

What's that? Women have boobs? Well, duh! But let's be honest: women already show plenty of cleavage. If they want to look near-naked, so be it. And to be honest, he stopped giving a shit after... 100 years?

His internal rant about clothing and sex stereotypes finished, he took out vials of Dust and slipped them into his newly sewn pockets. Perfect. If he had to, he could just blow them up. Or he could sell it to another cultivator...

"E-Excuse me..."

Fumetsu turned to see- shit, another girl! Is the old bastard trying to make a harem!?

Something caught his eye, though. He forced his legs to remain still as he stared into her eyes. They were like glass, with energy swirling within them. It was like she could see his lifeforce, which (he knew) shone like a sun.

Compared to the women that attacked him, she was unremarkable. Above average looks, slim physique, etc. A few bruises dotted her body. But her aura was completely different. It was focused. Determined.

The immortal could respect that. He could guess that the Foundation brats bullied her, who had just stepped into the Establishment stage. And all this time, she never stopped cultivating. Kudos.

"Hmm? Yes, kid?"

"D-Did you do this?"

Her question wasn't hateful, just inquisitive. She must've sensed that he had no Qì in his meridians, the channels that held lifeforce. Truth be told, Fumetsu didn't need to.

"Yep. Why're you asking?" he replied easily.

"U-Um..." she started.

 _Drat. Must be because I'm using how I originally look. To be honest, I don't believe the hot and sexy part of myself, but fine..._

The lady clenched her hand as she stared resolutely into those mirror-like eyes. They once reflected a weakling. But not anymore.

"Teach me all you know... Grandmaster. I beg you!"

* * *

 _ **Sāne deus faci**_ _ **t**_ _ **Nerōnem**_ _**spe**_ _ **ctant**_ _ **bonī**_ _ **.**_

 _(A sane god makes Nero look good.)_

* * *

The forecast was supposed to be nice and sunny, with no clouds in sight. It was supposed to be slightly humid in Mistralian territory after the rain yesterday. Liars. The four women following him knew the truth.

Magic. It ruled the air around him. It smelled of flowers, blooming and enticing; snow, fresh and pure; earth, strong and dependable; leaves, light and airy. Nature surrounded him, and it wasn't just the life around him... but also the Maidens.

Magic. It seemed to twist around him and latch onto him, like how roots would dig and tear down into the ground. It stunk of lightning, harsh yet sweet; iron, metallic and unforgiving; mud, musty and unwelcoming; detritus, decaying and pungent. Their wrath surrounded him like bees from an agitated hive. Large Grimm bees.

And yet there was one more scent. Flesh. It reeked of all of those notes, both dead and alive.

Fumetsu tried to remember what he did. He was depressingly happy that he was being (essentially) stalked, by superpowered legends of all things.

 _Let's see... was it the disturbance I caused when I beat that brat up~? Nah, the local Hunteress could've taken care of that. Maybe the time I blew up that Dust container~? Probably not, since it was going to explode anyways... Wait... Grimm!_

 _Oh~! It was that time I accidently led a horde of Grimm to a village and watched it burn, wasn't it! That might've been it, though I've been doing that way too much~ Maybe I should be more careful..._

He let the idea sit for a moment before punting it in the ass. _Nevermind~ Humanity in general just doesn't believe in getting stronger. A single guardian isn't going to stop people from dying, first of all. Death doesn't give a shit if you die now or die later~_

 _Death nev'a gonna give a crap, tonight~! In b-broad daylight he be roaming, taking yo' shit~!_

 _And let me guess: tree-huggers are going to fucking kill me now, eh~? Go on, take my ass! :D_

The wind picked up, bringing with it red and yellow fallen leaves. It sharpened them into a edge that'd make swordsmiths cry with envy as it swirled the pieces of nature around the immortal. Faster and faster the leaves went, till it was a blur. The rest of the world was cut off by Fall, containing Fumetsu in an artificial hurricane. And at the eye of the storm stood the delighted immortal, subject to the occasional leaf that cleaved into him, cell by cell and bone by bone.

 _Next, Winter_. _Add in some hail, or I'll be disappointed~ Whip me, master slave! Do it and I'll punish you~~~~!_

Dew drops became chunks of solid ice the size of scrolls, like stakes one would use to kill pale, cold vampires. With the wind they levitated before swerving towards Fumetsu.

They stabbed into him, puncturing his Aura-less flesh and momentarily chilling his wounds, turning them into bitter ice that crumbled apart into tiny, jagged white crystals. They melted within him, only to refreeze and shoot out of him like buckshot through his metallic bones and organs. They flayed his back, the ice slashing the layers off one by one in frozen sheets of newly dead cells. As testament to the Maiden's skill, the gory dermis didn't shatter, instead peeling the rest of itself off. And the hail stabbed into him, again and again, carving out his capillaries and bits of iron bone in a mess of diluted, acidic blood.

And all the while, Fumetsu was laughing like he'd heard the funniest joke ever. Himself.

 _And a close second to the world~! It's fine, the world can fuck up first~ and all the filthy myths too! And hey~, I'm a :D :I C: :K !_

 **Ille est** **īnsānus.**

"You monster! You'll pay for all the innocent lives you took! You, the Harbinger!" the Spring Maiden roared.

Such a ridiculous statement made Fumetsu turn to all four of the Maidens. He spat in their faces, before laughing as his phlegm slipped from Spring's face into her rather above average rack.

"Oooh~ So scary!" he cheered, easily arranging his middle finger to where his balls were. He curled inwards, then straightened it out. "Just fucking terrifying, ladies!"

For a moment, time stopped. His eyes saw all. The seasons flowed, and so did time.

 _It's looping... oh my god..._

Fall was calm, wise. Her hair was short and brown like the wood of oak and maple. Her skin was a shade lighter: teak, perhaps, or mahogany. Strokes of red and yellow adorned her eyes, which warily scanned over the immortal. The Maiden was slim like a willow and at medium height. She was sensual.

 _No... stop..._

Winter was cold, almost peaceful. White hair flowed down like a pure mountain stream. Her skin was pale like snow, as white as it possibly could be. Her face was elegant, like those of heavenly goddesses from the East. And her body was sleeker than ice and tall like a mountain.

 _Just... No... Please..._

Spring was lively, overflowing with vitality. Green hair like the leaves of a sapling hung over her rich dark brown eyes. Her skin was lightly tanned like sand and dirt, and her body was at 5'5", well developed.

 _Why? She... oh god, why why why why why!? NO! STOP IT!_

Summer was hot: not much else to say. As the most voluptuous of the Four Maidens, with breasts so big Fumetsu wanted to lop them off her front, she was life and beauty personified. Her fiery red-gold hair flowed like a flame, glowing a ring around her sky blue eyes. With her tan, she there she was. Sex appeal.

 _Full of life... like her... Gabriel... her blonde hair and blue eyes... almost like hers..._

 _Before she died._

 _She died._

 _its all my fault all my fault i'm shit no no no no no i failed please i want her back you bastards grimm spawn dick murderers i killed you fuckers while your kingdom's assholes_ **[censored]** _screw you all and your descendents_

 _the gods are liars_

 _please_

 _i_

 _want_

 _her_

 _back_

 **Ille est** **trīstis.**

 **Tū non sentīs dolōris illīus?**

"Pay for your crimes!" Winter calmly said as the hail grew larger, from chilling fists to frozen sword blades. The cold weapons flew around him, lashing into his already flayed skin. They dug in, lethally gouging out flesh already tormented by nature.

She started with his lungs, mincing them up with a blizzard of ice that perforated the twin organs, letting a wheeze of air flutter out as the crystals flew through. The bronchi collapsed onto themselves, shrinking like the rest of the dying cells in the harsh cold of ice and Winter, wrinkling, condensing. They shattered so beautifully- well, as beautifully as frozen mucosal gunk and bloody branches of air-exchanging cells could. Snap!

The ice then went to work on his ribcage. They scored deeper and deeper, through compact and spongy bone, red and yellow marrow, and frozen blood, slashing away at it as if the crystal was a sub-zero surgery. The crimson liquid cracked from the harsh temperature difference as piece by piece, the immortal's bones were sawed away. The once dirty white organs turned redder than blood could've been been.

Fumetsu collapsed onto his knees. The ground scraped at the skin on his knees.

 _Gabriel..._

 _i'm so sorry it's all my fault please forgive me i did my best but it wasn't enough_

 _cultivators they called themselves gods and i couldn't do anything why i was useless i couldn't even protect you_

 _i promised_

 _i failed_

 _i am worthless_

 _Gabriel._

The tears fell like rain: slowly, then like a torrent from a heavenly waterfall. They flowed down his dirty, grimy skin from the Maiden's beating, and into his grievous wounds, mixing reluctantly with his torn, half-alive carcass. Gore trickled onto the ground: infertile water.

Winter took a step back in the air, and her pristine white robes in the style of a kimono that covered her nicely fluttered in the air like her heart: uncertainly. Never in a thousand years would she expect a monster to cry in front of him. In a split second, she justified it to herself, reminding herself that it was simply trying to trick her. The screams of a tormented soul would end. She'd end the devoured one's suffering. But first... she needed to kill the beast.

"Winter! It doesn't look like your icicles are working! Time for lightning!" Spring said.

 _She was faster than thunder, and struck hard with His wrath. Her blade was His lightning, brighter, stronger. It took me years to figure out how she did it. Gabriel..._

 _i couldn't protect you when you needed me the most i'm scum_

He didn't even notice the smell of ozone, harsh and metallic yet sweet. It flooded his tongue, causing it to curl up instinctively.

The sky bellowed and let loose millions of volts into his body, a lance of pure, searing light shooting out from the dark, ominous skies into his body. Sparks danced on his skin, igniting whatever was dry and frying his (somehow) intact guts into a loose sickly yellow mess of cells, protein fibers, and stinking nutrients.

 _She always loved the starlight, always saying there was something magical about it. It's funny... I knew that. From another life..._

 _and yet i had all that power but couldn't save her_

 _i was starlight to her_

 _truth?_

 _i know it_

 _cycle over cycle worlds gone i watched die happiness withered away and sadness won_

 _a million devils all dead by me_

 _she was worth my throne_

 _worth dying for_

 _but i can't escape it_

 _it even murdered her_

 _my throne_

 _a_

 _god_

 _am_

 _i_

 _not_

 _?_

 _DAO i tread you_

 _i found your end_

 _you are not heaven_

 _am i strong_

 _?_

 _NO._

"You, who torments souls! You, who reaps the innocent and brings evil to our world! You will pay for your crimes! Just like you murdered them all! Children, mothers, people! You may take on a human form, but you're no man! Grimm!"

Summer's flame surged around Fumetsu, cloaking him in devouring fire that somehow turned his already burnt flesh into ash and began gnaw what little muscle and fat he had left. It roared around him in reds and oranges, before turning black as they ate his eyes, burning off the whites before entering his pupils and violently evaporating the liquid within them.

"You bring despair! You're a monster! You're-"

At this point, he couldn't hear anymore as the cartilage in his ear wasted away under the oppressive heat, which swarmed onto him with the help of Fall's leaves and her gale winds. The heat took out all the air from his open chest cavity, which only grew more red. Flames seared his veins and arteries shut before building the pressure in them and forcing them to burst in crimson floods.

And yet he knew what she said. He didn't need anything to know.

"You murdered them! You murdered her!"

Time stopped, freezing as his mind became still with dead shock.

 _I murdered her..._

 _i might as well have_

 _you're right summer_

"They were weak! My friends were there, and you killed them! She was weak, and you killed her!"

 _weak?_

 _Gabriel, weak?_

 _..._

 _..._

 _... No._

 _Gabriel was weak?_

He rose up as time progressed normally, unrestrained as it ran off and away from the immortal.

 _You... DARE... CALL HER WEAK?! FUCKING BRATS!_

 **Ille est īrātī**

 **dum tū sunt caecus stultum.**

 **Pēnsābis cum eae animae.**

Almost hauntingly, his flesh regrew. First, his bones came back as the osteoblasts from his remaining bones secreted minerals and rebuilt the calcium and inorganic matrix into the curved, almost cruel, ribs he needed. Then, his lungs regrew, starting out as a fist-size lump of pink tissue before ballooning outwards to fit the new ribs and the yellowish translucent serous membrane that came with it.

Ruined muscles became their regular length again, their actin and myosin fibers whole and unsevered as they wove themselves back into one slab of red and white. The skin soon followed, developing a layer of thin, translucent white fat before its blood vessels branched onto it and the epithelial cells replicated quickly.

All this time, the flames, the lightning, the ice, and the leaves couldn't touch him, hitting an invisible spherical barrier that seemed to defy all logic. It held no magic, no Aura, but it was there all the while.

Too late, the Maidens realized. He was Auraless, and yet he could forge a shield in the time it took to blink. It felt like nothing short of a mountain could shift it, much less shake it or, heavens forbid, crack it.

It was made of the fucking air. How on Remnant could he do that?

"Say that one more time, Summer of the Zenith Sun."

The voluptuous maiden stepped back in the air, shocked that the monster in front of her even _knew_ her full title. Though she was a hell lot more surprised that the immortal said something to her.

Those mirrored eyes were filled with madness and despair. And yet it seemed there was fire that was melting it from within. "What did I say, Summer? SAY THAT ONE MORE TIME! DO IT, BITCH!" Fumetsu maniacally roared.

"They were weak! My friends were there, and you killed them! She was weak, and you killed her!" Summer shouted, though she had to use the winds to amplify her voice to match his decibel level.

"Gabriel..."

Flames of an ancient time finally melted the twin mirrors that stared at her. They flowed through his body, flesh so famished that it hungered for years: his eternity. They vitalized him, brought infinite life. Yet it also unleashed the floodgates of infinite negativity.

"...was..."

It was like a giant hand from the sky was crushing all around him. The trees groaned, then cracked in half under the devastating pressure, splinters of wood joining the swirling leaves (to Fall's despair). Around them all, there was ominous silence. Unnatural. There wasn't even a bird's call.

"... my wife."

Those eyes hardened.

"She was stronger than you four brats combined, while you all just keep on _bitching_."

The immortal raised his right hand up at shoulder level, and clenched it into a fist... like he was choking the life out of a child. For a moment, the world flashed white-

* * *

~And Fumetsu was in front of Summer, crushing her neck furiously with his right hand, holding her above the ground effortlessly. His fingers dug into her delicate flesh, encroaching deeper through her teak skin and into her blood vessels. Her Aura was spent, somehow... as if it turned tail and ran away.

His other hand found its way to her chest, probing the softness men would die for before ripping off the globe of fat and jamming it into her mouth, snapping through a line of pristine teeth. Efficiently, almost sadistically, he tore off the other one and forced it down her already shut throat.

Those eyes watched her asphyxiate. ~

* * *

Summer let in a breath through her closed throat as she stepped away from him. She realized she was hallucinating. Her battle bikini-

"You're first, pissant."

The flickering embers became an inferno that again surrounded him, twisting into a vortex that only sped up the tearing winds Fall wielded. They burned and began to shrink- wait.

"You think this can hurt me? That I'll be screaming in pain as I beg for my life? Brat!"

They burned as they formed into a perfect glowing sphere: a sun. That soon disappeared as Fumetsu closed an open hand, extinguishing the heat. The scent of seared flesh wafted into the air as a bit of the burnt dermal layer fell onto the dull green grass.

"Let me tell you something..."

His right hand wrapped around his left wrist, tightening as he assumed a iai drawing position. Perfect. Prepared. Powerful. But there seemed to be something else... something that would devour them.

 _One. Beginning._

 _One. Whole._

 _One. Perfect._

The immortal pulled off his arm, his eternal hoe. Bone cracked and groaned, splinters of red, white, and yellow floating momentarily. Muscles tore and twisted, the fibers dancing crazily as if searching for blood. Blood spurted out, the droplets becoming a stream of crimson that never ended. Skin fluttered in the air, whistling at an ominous high pitch. The sound of sizzling filled the air as it ate away at its surroundings, like it hated the world.

Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter stopped, horrified. They had seen the Grimm tear apart men limb by limb, and destroy the homes of the innocent. Fires broke out, Hunters and Huntresses were devoured, and families wiped out. And yet the way he ripped his arm off was disturbing.

Fumetsu did it, nice and clean, without a moment's hesitation and with no reaction. His movements were clear, crisp, perfected over what seemed like a thousand years. And judging by the way he twirled it around, it was like he didn't care. His body wasn't important to him- it was _expendable_. He might've as well strapped himself to a large Dust crystal and blow himself up.

"Nobody says my wife is weak. Not even you, Four Maidens."

Screaming filled the air: a deep, rumbling, quaking roar. Nobody spoke, not even the wind.

The world was _screaming_.

It became hard to breath, like the immortal was choking them all to death.

One step. The land shook.

Two steps. Pits began spontaneously appearing, bringing fertile land down into fresh abysses.

Three steps. Nature withered away, dying faster than those innocents ever did by the maws of the Grimm.

"You... will... never... win..." Spring managed to choke out.

Fall struggled to breath. "We... control... the weather... This... is... nothing..."

Fury and fear swirled in Summer's sky-blue eyes. "And... there's... four of... us..."

Winter seemed solemn, almost as if she was accepting her fate too late. "How... will... you... fight... against... all..."

"All of you? Easy. You're inauspicious," the immortal easily replied. "Four seasons in one year."

The Maidens stared at him as he laughed. Poor, poor, seasons. The Grimm were a thousand times more merciful than him.

 _August 3rd... my birthday, huh. And then August 4th..._

"In my life, four is unlucky. It sounds exactly like death."

* * *

He was so mysterious. With those mirrored eyes, Li Xian couldn't read him now.

They sat together at a modernist oaken table, which was coated in a thin layer of transparent, unscratched resin. Two other chairs in the same style remained unused as she sat across from him. She wished they weren't so relatively tall, since their legs would occasionally touch, bringing another wave of red to her face.

It was a little frustrating when he wouldn't notice those moments. He seemed to smile a bit as he sipped his coffee (a cappuccino, instead of the expresso he originally wanted) in a small porcelain cup. His face was cute, seductive even... like he wanted not just another cup of joe, but her too.

 _H-Hold up there! W-What am I thinking!?_

He looked good, considering an hour ago he was about to be executed. The black tennis shoes with cyan accents like the wind complemented his worn and sturdy blue jeans. The black hoodie, with a swirl spinning like a whirlpool in cyan, completed his mischievous appearance nicely.

Snapping. He was snapping his fingers in front of her face.

"Wake up, mate. A bit too many people to be daydreaming, eh?" he said as the snapping morphed into waving. His movements flowed into each other like the ocean, weaving left and right perfectly.

Li Xian was too engrossed into her thoughts, so he pinched her right cheek hard. His hands were warm. Like the sunlight that basked her.

"You okay there, mate?"

"I'm fine... thanks..." she replied as she batted away his hand. "Just... a bit tired..."

Carefully, he slid his drink over to her side with his left hand. "Then you can have it. Looks like you need it more than me. I mean, I don't get really tired these days. Atlesian cold keeps people awake, yah know?"

Instantly, Li Xian's right hand leapt from the end of the coated table and landed on Fumetsu's hand. She stopped it right in its tracks, her skin touching his.

The immortal raised his eyebrow. "You sure, Li Xian?"

"Of course! I made it for you, so don't waste it!" she said, almost in an exasperated manner. "Besides, I'm more of a tea person. It's much more calming."

The immortal snickered. "Actually..."

"You can't convince me that coffee's better than tea," Li Xian interrupted as she stared down those mirror eyes. Her grip on his hand tightened.

"Except that tea and coffee both contain caffeine within them, and they're brewed by similar methods: one by leaves and one by beans," Fumetsu said. "Not to mention both can be hot or cold brew, and both go well with sugar and cream... so practically there's the same."

His hand escaped her's and placed itself on top, trapping her hand within its fingers as with his other hand he slid it across.

"No reason not to drink."

"It's not j-just that..." Li Xian started as she slowly realized how they looked. Her "boyfriend" was smirking as if he'd won an little innocent argument, even tilting his head slightly and letting his black hair cover a bit of his mirrored eyes. Meanwhile, she was staring right back with her earthy-brown and green eyes, a little blush on her face.

They. Were. Holding. Hands. And it only got worse when she noticed how she kept on unconsciously squeezing his thumb between her pointer and opposable fingers. Heck, just the warmth from him nearly made her nosebleed in ecstasy.

Luckily, he noticed. "Oh. Sorry about that," Fumetsu said as he lifted his hand up. She had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn't sorry, though, given his smirk...

"N-No... it's fine..." Li Xian whispered a bit as she lifted his cup of coffee and took a sip. She'd never tasted cappuccino before.

 _Wait... i-indirect..._

She finished the cup, savoring the notes of nuts and cream within.

 _Indirect k-kiss!_

Just like that, her face became red, just like his for completely different reasons as they both entered the Atlesian cold.

A gentle breeze, as anyone knew in Atlas, could drop the perceived temperature by a few degrees. Yet the land was unforgiving to anything too weak. It was why layered jeans were especially in high demand in the north: they insulated better than most other pants.

Li Xian, although at average height for a lady, kept pace easily with her visitor as he led her through neat roads and plazas. The wind picked up just a bit, causing her to shiver slightly.

"Just need to make a bank withdrawal," Fumetsu said to her. "You've got an account?"

She nodded. "Yes. Lien in my profession tends to build up quickly. Lots of customers have made various confessions and so on... but anyways, I have enough to live. It's... just not enough to pay-"

"Unless you got a sponsorship?" Fumetsu replied.

She stiffened, looking at him in surprise. "How did you know?" she whispered.

"I've been at this for years now, madam," the immortal said, bowing. "Well, if you're looking for one, it's pretty easy. Though you'll never know. It's not like the Headmaster of Beacon will just randomly appear."

The sun was setting, streaking the sky with purples and pinks, yellows and oranges. To many, it was at beauty they were blessed with almost everyday. And yet to the immortal, it was nothing new.

At what point was day transformed into night? Was it when the sun finally dipped below the horizon? Everyone accepted that explanation.

And yet it was so different to Fumetsu. It was the same day, the same time span to him. The only difference was lighting and whatever celestial body was in the air, be it sun or broken moon.

Severing day and night meant nothing: the world couldn't have one without the other. It was like Heaven and Earth... without her...

* * *

 **Ille est** **īnsānus.**

 **Ille est** **trīstis.**

 **Tū non sentīs dolōris illīus?**

 **Ille est īrātī**

 **dum tū sunt caecus stultum.**

 **Pēnsābis cum eae** **animārum** **.**

 _He is insane._

 _He is sad._

 _Do you not feel his pain?_

 _He is angry_

 _while you are a blind fool._

 _Pay with their lives._

* * *

 _So, you're reading, eh? You hate me? Like me? Don't want to pick this up ever again?_

 _It's fine. I know I'm not a real likable immortal. I mean, I'm blood and gore in human form. If you retched, read the warning next time._

 _Oh, and a few things..._

 _ **XSRA's Flame**_ _and_ _ **Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether.**_ _If you don't read them, according to my author, you'll regret it. And do review them._ _ **Xera Stark**_ _and_ _ **andy2396**_ _, wasn't it?_

 _Finally, I don't mean to pander. But let's face it: I do appreciate a good review. It's always fun to see how much of a dick other people think I am. I mean, I am a murderer, canonically speaking here._

 _Review me, the subject of this... fanfiction? (Okay, that's bad.) Go ahead. I await your hate. At least, I hope..._


	4. Sān: To Join a Sect- I Mean, School

_Did you think I was merciful? That's a lie. But you know what? You can hope as much as you want._

 _On the other hand, I'll keep the blood light today. Well, relatively light compared to last chapter. Which, by the way, I explained at the end. Being an immortal is hard, and getting anyone to tell my story is hard enough!_

 _Also, to my author- this is my story. I'm the OC OP MC of this. I do this. All you do is type it this out, and then report to me how much people liked me- which is impossible- or hated me- which I'm still waiting for._

 _Fumetsu here, ending my rant. And yes, I don't respect you, my author. I mean, OS? It means "Oh shit!"_

 _I'd rip off your hands, but you still have to post chapters, OS!_

 _ **Okay, jeez, I get it Fumetsu. But you need to calm down and realize that won't happen.**_

 _Oh? Watch me fourth wall your ass._

 _ **Dude, I made you. I know that's coming a mile away. I mean, I have to freaking write you!**_

 _Just do your job properly and I won't take over the author's notes._

 _ **Liar. Remind me why I created you with so much attitude.**_

 _Remind me why you made me live so long, jack***- Oh, now you censor me!_

* * *

 **Sān: To Join a Sect- I Mean, School**

* * *

A desert is said to be lifeless. It is a foreign world, where landmarks are useless and the earth is constantly changing. Grains of the gritty substance swirl in the wind, devouring what little moisture there is in the air. It is a land at the mercy of the fickle sun and the fickler wind.

I know that, reader. I mean, I dug up dirt a trillion times and let it blow away. I made Vacuo a desert with my own hands because I could. Sabaku fucked with me and didn't keep his end of his promise. I am many things, but I'm not going to go back on my word.

That sounds callous, doesn't it? But think about it. A little vodka drinking man once said a million dead means nothing to us, but one person means the world. Whiteouts in Atlas can wipe out a town, but nobody's bitching that. Hurricanes in Mistral are the source of the most nature-related deaths, but what do you care?

You're setting in a bed, a chair, maybe reading this in class, maybe reading this when you're supposed to be asleep. You aren't them. They don't matter to you. You're as much a hypocrite as the next person over.

So if I told you I'd murder your best friend, you'd be tempted to strangle me to death- if you could.

If I told you I'd murder a woman across the world, you'd yawn and scroll on.

Why does this matter to you? Why do I, an immortal, talk about this with you, reader?

Because that's the Grimm to humanity. Unless those bitches stare you in the eye with their blood-red portals of negativity, what do you care? It's not like you're going to die- their claws and hisses and bites and laser won't go past your little screen. It's all imaginary. All virtual. You're real, and they're not, so you're stronger.

So let me tell you a little secret, as a really old person: if you can imagine it, it's exists. Period.

You are as unfeeling as the next person who reads this. But you are not me, whether or not you like it, because you care about death. If a Grimm dies, you cheer. If a beloved hero dies, you cry and wail and bitch on.

I don't care anymore. I've felt what death is like, but I survived all of them. I've seen everyone I cared about gone, everything that made me happy killed and born indefinitely. To me, what's the point of being happy or sad at death? It's not like I'll stay dead. And let's face it: they're mortal and I'm not. I knew this was going to happen, and I'm not going to be so illogical as to make it happen again.

I've seen millions of alternates yous read me a million times, in a million different worlds. How are you any different?

So go on. Judge me based on what you have. Because I stopped caring about you.

This story is my story. I have no reason to lie to you, nor tell the truth to you. But I do have a reason to explain myself, because then I have cursing rights. And cursing it a lot more honest to me at least, given my life.

I am callous. I do not regret killing, do not regret genocide, do not regret the worst crimes. After all, in the grand scheme of the universe, _who cares_? It's not like the universe will implode because I murdered everyone.

You say that killing is a crime. I say it's life.

Hey, at least I acknowledge that my values and ethics are screwed up compared to yours, reader. If you met me cycles ago, or about the time a universe lasts, I would've been much different...

It's funny. Once upon a time I used to be like the Undying Hero: filling with a pure sense to help. And then time corrupted us. I became colder than Atlas in its Ice Age, and the Hero became... some disgusting gremlin goblin bastard. I'd pity the Nikos family if they ever knew what their great ancestor was like, but that's a different story.

... Yes, I'm no motivational speaker. Shit piles up real fast. I began as a god, then was reborn as a mortal, before becoming immortal again. I see things like a mortal with a immortal's relative perspective. I'd enlighten you, but that'd defeat the whole purpose of life. You're supposed to struggle, so the gods can laugh at you before you spit in their face.

What, you want me to help you? I'm giving you advice. There's no way I'm going across your screen to help you with anything else.

So go on. Bring your heroes to me and slay me. If you hate me, make me take back my words and eat a fat dick.

I await you.

Oh, you're wondering where the rest of the story went? It's right below. This above is like an interlude. I had to clear up some things that I feel my author DIDN'T do a good job about.

 **I can hear you, you know. Hell, I have to transcribe you into this site!**

Shut up and do your job, OS!

* * *

The army was stupid. They had Dust and weapons and armor, sure. But food?

If Fumetsu wanted to, he could starve them. They were arrogant brats, who thought that by killing a few Grimm they were hotshots. That with their weapons, which could light up the sky in blinding light, they were heroes.

Heroes? More like glory hounds and powerful blackmailers. He could tell most of their clothing wasn't even theirs to begin with. By the high quality of the fabric that seemed to be the norm and the way they treated him, it looked like they made tailors sew and weave it for them with the business end of their weapons.

But he'd wait. They'd die, one by one, to time anyways.

They were Hunters and Huntresses, they said. Fumetsu disagreed.

Hunters and Huntresses had an unglamourous job. They killed Grimm from dawn to dusk, and even till midnight rang- well, if the village they were defending was still intact and inhabited. They risked their lives to merely _slow_ the spread of encroaching darkness.

Leave that to Atlesian military- oh wait, it's Mantle right now. Atlas is in this world's future.

And you know what? Hunters and Huntresses are so misunderstood, even by the people who take on that profession. It'd be better if they were called "Guards" because there's nothing glorious about killing Grimm. No thrill of the hunt- just kill the darkness so others can live another day.

Hunters? They don't deserve that name.

"Get a move on, you little dirty pig."

He whimpered- all part of his act- towards his "savior", George.

Well, he had to refer to him as _Saint_ George of The Lord's Blessed Church.

He has to admit, this version of the original Saint George was terrible. At least even Fumetsu, a callous asshole who regularly cussed out deities, could respect the dragon slaying hero who was also a holy man. Heck, he even liked him a bit. The guy didn't budge from his beliefs and was really dedicated to his cause.

He remembered. Dressed in scraps despite the battle, he slew the Grimm Dragon like a true hero: against all the odds for a noble purpose.

Well, he also disagreed with his purpose, though. To save a city and a damsel? Personally, he would've just beat up the Dragon and then probably forget to free the madam, all for the money he could've spent on businesses. Still, the immortal approved of his work ethic.

This guy? He was like an ignorant fanboy about to have his ass handed to him- if the Grimm Dragon didn't crush it first. Hell, he was so unworthy that Fumetsu refused to use his best name for the Grimm: Georgian Wyvern. That fit, unlike the scumbag who ruled over him for now.

"Good job, serf!"

 _That's like saying "You picked more cotton today, slave! I won't beat you today- I'll save it for tomorrow!" No wonder you've killed so many people, especially laborers. They died for your crap that you think can kill a dragon._

Fumetsu regarded the "holy" weapon the self-professed saint had: a sword that gave out light. Which, by the way, was from a bit of Fire Dust within, which gave it its immense cutting power through the heat it emitted. The holy sword Avalon- it was pretty pitiful. It could shoot fire- enough to torch a wing, maybe, but hell not enough to kill a dragon.

"George! I knew you would come to save me!"

"Silena! Are you okay?"

Oh, so this George saved the princess for love. Bullshit. No hero worth his salt saved the world because of a woman he loved.

Love, if selfish, is a sin. Go to Hell, will you George?

"I love-"

Fumetsu shut off the annoying bastard's voice. He didn't need to know what cheesy thing he'd say to win the damsel's heart.

Hopefully, they weren't planning to do it in his room. But then again, why would they?

Maybe a pre-battle sexy time so George could look back on his life like "at least I had sex with her before I died"? Fumetsu didn't need to imagine it: given how they were holding each other and preemptively grinding, he guessed they were already having their fun.

A roar echoed in the distance. George stood up, excited with a disgusting expression on his face. His thoughts were solely on glory and fame.

"Crusaders of the Dragon-Slaying Order! Now is our time to shine and seize glory! For Him!" he roared, pointing his weapon in the general direction of the sound.

"Blessed be Him!" the troops under him cheered.

They wore gold, the knights under George. Their armor was styled in a medieval fashion, with a meticulously perfected breastplate engraved with silver depicting the death of a dragon alongside straps and even more thick armor plating to protect the fanatics.

George himself had the best equipment. It was practically made of the stuff, the verses and depictions of events in his holy book (that he wrote, by the way) engraved onto the truly golden armor. It had a muscle plate, along with broad shining shoulders and a cloak of red wool with golden crossed stitched into it.

Too bad they didn't deserve the opulence they wore. It wouldn't do them much good, especially since they had made it out of fucking gold. Nobody in their right mind would willingly wear gold armor. It was just one of those stupid things that Fumetsu had seen over the years, and it honestly rubbed him the wrong way. He could've spent that on farms and the village, which would've helped it developed into a town that would attract Hunters and Huntresses who'd keep the Grimm levels down AND give them a job! Then the Grimm would've have come in the first place!

 _This guy... is a saint? Bullshit._

Finally, the Grimm Dragon came into view. It was a creature-

No, wait. It's just a blob of darkness given cruel form with bone armor that could impale you without half-trying, along with a maw of jagged mountain-peak like teeth and the glow of flames. False alarm.

Every flap of its titanic wings seems to force down the world more, making it bow to the evil majesty of the sky. The winds each beat burst through the area, blowing the hut Fumetsu lived in away and ripping out the foundation it was based on.

"Hey! Motherfucker, that's my room!" the immortal shouted at the dragon. "Cough up the Lien!" Now!"

In a spiral of shadows and red energy, the dragon's form compressed into that of a maiden's. Red hair like pure rose (or human muscle fibers) framed a face pleasantly white, like bleached bone. Her figure was voluptuous, yet muscular- fitting for its immense strength and ability to practically birth more Grimm. Oh, and it was naked.

As blood soaked the earth around him, Fumetsu stepped forwards, dropping the farming tool as the transformed Grimm Dragon killed everyone around it. Saint George? Dead.

He reached out and kissed it.

Then he burned it from the inside-out, forcing its mouth open with his lips as he breathed flames to scorch and disintegrate its insides. He watched those red Grimm eyes fade to dark with a smile.

* * *

"And here's the money."

Li Xian couldn't believe it. There it was. All the Lien needed to apply to and pay for four years of Beacon.

She would've never imagined the smirking, annoying idiot in front of her would've happened to have the cash for it. She was so happy, the happiest she'd ever been in a long time. Hell, she could've kissed him in all the joy she had.

Wait, kissing him? Too fast.

"There goes my savings..." he croaked under his breath. "All those savings over a lifetime. I was going to retire for the umpteenth time..."

A little storm cloud raged over his head, its black wisps of air sprouting rain and lightning as he curled up on the bank's stone ground in the fetal position. Li Xian had the feeling it was actually real, given how the thunder would occasionally light an ember on his hair.

The waitress felt guilty. He had worked so hard for the cash, and-

"Please don't pity me," Fumetsu said. "I mean, I can always build up my funds again. Though given the current economy, in which jobs for higher-level tasks aren't growing as much as they should, and manual labor in Dust mines are common, I might have to-"

Authoritatively, she smacked him in the face. "SHUT UP!" she ordered, before she dragged him out of the bank by the scruff of his hoodie.

"Ouch..." he complained.

Once the two reentered the cold, she huffed. "Fumetsu... right?" she tentatively asked.

"Li Xian... right?" he imitated, rolling his eyes.

Another slap on the face, this time on his left cheek. He rubbed the now red skin, though Li Xian knew it was just an act. There was no way that her measly slap could've hurt him.

"Look... thank you," she began. "I'm grateful for the help you've given me. So... thanks. This is where we part ways, okay?"

He nodded. For once, though, Li Xian noticed something in his eyes.

Instead of the mirror that she usually saw, it was... well, something that wasn't of this world. It was the stars, the clouds, pure energy, the cosmos. It filled her heart with wonder.

 _It's the Heavens_.

She immediately shot down that idea. She didn't even know what the Heavens were like, for crying out loud!

Beside, she was staring. Again. For the literal hundredth time.

She had a nagging feeling that she just made a mistake. Her heart was rebelling, but why? And as he turned away and took a step, something seemed to clench her chest. A bit of-

Backtracking, Fumetsu slid on his feet a bit on the frosted sidewalk as the area where he was previously broke apart under the fist of a total stranger. She stood up, grinning, before she took up a flask and took a swig.

The newcomer was beautiful. Her chestnut brown hair framed her amethyst- or wine- purple eyes, held up by a green scrunchy that was adorned by a pattern much like a grapevine's. Her white sweater covered up her somewhat revealing black tank-top, which in turn covered up an above average bust-

 _Wait, why am I analyzing that? There's no way he's look at that-_

"Li Xian, wake up," the immortal said.

A pinch on her cheek brought her back to reality.

Despite the weather, the newcomer wore a skirt that only went up to her mid-

"For the love of deities, WHY DO PEOPLE WEAR COMBAT MINI-SKIRTS! THE LAST THING I NEED IS AS RAPE ACCUSATION BECAUSE YOU FAILED TO COVER UP YOUR PANTIES! GET SOME ACTUAL CLOTHES! THERE'S SOMETHING CALLED FROSTBITEEEEE! AND LAST OF ALL, WELCOME TO FUCKING ATLAS!"

The Atlas resident had to agree. The padded jeans Li Xian was wearing looked better in this weather than the fashion statement this newcomer gave off. Although, yes, she had to admit it was a bit too sexy...

The wind swept through the area from the force of Fumetsu's sudden lecture. The stranger actually froze for a moment, caught by surprise.

Li Xian imagined herself ever wearing such a thing. The result: a plume of steam so large Fumetsu actually had to stop for a moment and hug her. It helped- not at all.

Finally, Li Xian noted that the newcomer wore white combat boots with golden laces. Perfect for stomping a certain guy's face in...

Fumetsu sneezed twice, before shaking off his prenomination.

A sweet scent fluttered in the air like Li Xian's heart, though it was a bit light. Alcohol. Given her age, Li Xian was concerned for the stranger.

"And you're too young to be drink, kid," the immortal said.

Almost nonchalantly, the immortal snatched the red liquid out of her hand. He then took a sip, just to make sure.

"... How on Remnant are you drunk? This isn't even alcohol, dammit. Don't tell me the other one-" Fumetsu started.

A lopsided smile rose up as she unclasped the other flask on her lithe body and drank up.

He sighed. "Well, can't help you where if Atlesian police arrest you. Dionysia, right?"

A lunge by the newcomer stopped him from saying anything else as she caught Fumetsu straight in the sternum, causing lightning to discharge into him. The voltage coursed through him until her fist left his flesh, allowing him to fall down defeated.

Well, he did throw a weak right straight. The stranger just straight up tasered him again.

Silence. "Been awhile since I've seen those crystals... nice rings." Fumetsu muttered.

Almost appreciatively, the drunkard brawler wrapped her arms around him and started nuzzling her face into the back of his head. "Good job, hot chunk," she happily said. "You know, you're real cute... Wanna have a good time?"

Li Xian wanted nothing but to slice up this Dionysia, her hand tightening on her jian **Fa He Ci**. Law and Order. Perfect for beating up this chaos... or whatever just happened in front of her.

Besides, Fumetsu was the guy she was with. He spilled who he was to her, and she only found herself more interested in him. She wasn't going to let this... Dionysia handle him any way she wanted. If she wanted him, then she'd have to go through Li Xian.

Wait. Oh god, she just thought that. Cue furious blushing.

"Check and ready. You never stood a chance," a new voice said.

Fluidly, her blade flew out of her sheath and clashed against a black shield embellished with a golden rim. The force behind Li Xian's slash burst out, sending her new opponent backwards on the icy sidewalk.

She regarded Li Xian carefully, her eyes always moving up and down, left and right, constantly reading the situation in front of her.

"You're not half bad," the former waitress said, adopting a double-handed stance and shifting her feet accordingly.

"Not half bad? I felt like my arm was going to pop out," replied the newcomer as she held her shield in front of her again, along with a similarly colored spear. "I was pretty certain that'd work. I even stood in your blind spot, given a worst-case scenario. How'd you know?"

"Two can play the tactical game. You know he was the prisoner. Nobody sane would dare take him on alone after what he did to the White Fang raiders. So, when your accomplice attacked him, there was no way you wouldn't finish the deal. Your name?" Li Xian said.

Her opponent lunged, which Li Xian backed away from. "Athenia. Athenia Galene."

The waitress slashed from the right side, which Athenia deflected with her shield. "Nice to meet you, but he's with me. Li Xian."

They both mutually backed off, carefully keeping an eye on each other. Earthy brown met crystal blue. As the wind picked up, dark red hair flew up like a banner of war. It was a clear contrast to Li Xian's resolute and unaffected short brown hair.

At the same time, both of them moved. Leading with a shield bash from her left, Athenia collided with Li Xian.

In response, the swordswoman moved with the shield, even slipping past its right edge on the ice, and suddenly spinning in a short clockwise full circle. The jian rang against the black spear, its flat part simultaneously smacking away the incoming jab and knocking Athenia to Li Xian's right.

Spear and shield against sword. It was a bad matchup for Li Xian, and she knew it. The spear could stab out at mid-range while the shield could defend and act as a close-range weapon, while the jian could only be used as close ranged...

Well, with some focus it could be mid-ranged as well, but she didn't want to use it yet.

This time, the rim of the shield caught Li Xian in the gut, causing her to instinctively bend downwards and raise her weapon at the same time. Big mistake. It allowed Athenia to land a strike on Li Xian's sword arm. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the weapon just had to _explode_.

The swordswoman tumbled backwards once before landing on her feet on the icy concrete and maintaining her balance until she came to a shop. Although she still had a decent amount of Aura left, she still felt like her upper right arm was a little numb.

"Never expected that to have such a punch," Li Xian admitted as she held her blade in front of her, left side facing Athenia as she approached.

The redhead nodded in acknowledgement. "Never expected you to have such durability," she replied as she led her spear-

-only for Fumetsu appear in front of Li Xian suddenly and snatch it just below the spear point, yanking Athenia off-balance.

"Decent skills, but still at a basic level," he said as he landed a punch to Athenia's shield. "Too telegraphed. What was that supposed to do, run me over?"

His left straight stopped short as his opponent backed away, nearly slipping on the ice. It stayed there tauntingly. "Come on. I know you're smarter than this. You have a third person, given the way you've managed to keep Li Xian at the same location."

A nod. "But you don't know who. And besides..."

Lightning crackled in Dionysia's fists as they approached him, both parting the wind.

"... check-"

The immortal yawned as he stood his ground, remaining where he was as the drunk fighter wound up another punch. "You done yet? You got any better backup plan? Let me guess, you two also need money."

Bending downwards, he let Dionysia's punch go high as he grabbed onto her exposed leading leg. One yank made her slip and go temporarily airborne, with enough time for him to toss her towards Athenia in a underhanded fashion.

As the tactician backed away, she realized too late that Dionysia was simply a diversion. It wasn't that she didn't consider this situation, but that it was too late to execute a proper counter. At this point, all she could do was minimize damage.

Li Xian didn't give her that chance, batting Athenia into the air with the flat part of her blade again to provide maximum blunt force. She then exhaled as she held her jian in her right hand, the tip behind her body, before she slashed with the sharp end.

The wind responded accordingly, forming a wave of rushing, Aura-enhanced air that collided with Athenia at the peak of her trajectory. While she did guard with her shield, part of the wind blade swept over her guard and directly onto her.

It was a powerful slash that directly took off Athenia's Aura from around 90% to 60%, at a cost of around 10% of Li Xian's Aura. Not that there was much to begin with before she unleashed the winds: 84%.

Safely, under the guard of Dionysia (who was grinning as she suggestively swayed her hips), Athenia landed, her crystal eyes shocked and wary. She never expected such a level of coordination between the two, whom she _knew_ just met yesterday.

Even though it was within her worst-case scenario expectations, she still felt that it was going to go wrong any moment now...

"You're a sick-"

"SHUT UP!"

The sound wave from Fumetsu's thunderous shout blew back yet another newcomer- the prince who attended the immortal's parade. His blonde hair and honey-sweet brown eyes furrowed as he pointed his lance at him.

"You make no sense to me. First, you willingly parade yourself towards your execution before escaping, then you purposefully stay in the area. All for what?" he said.

"Oh, because I feel like it," Fumetsu honestly responded. "Nothing better to do. I was feeling generous today."

Everyone did a spit-take, considering the savage beatdown he had apparently laid down on the White Fang two weeks ago. He was right: that was some generous violence there.

"Well? Get on with it! I assume one of you is genuinely confused why I'm doing whatever, and I know the other two need money for school! Unless you can get a sponsorship, ladies, that ain't happening!" the immortal said before he turned around and began to sprint away.

The three (and a waitress) took chase.

"Etoile, you're so slow!" Fumetsu taunted as he jumped onto and slid on a taxi coming from his left, continuing to run across a road with vehicles zooming past him fast.

Well, on the bright side, Li Xian knew everyone now.

"You chase him, Dionysia. Your Semblance can counter the power in his punches," Athenia ordered. "Etoile, stick together with me. Li Xian-"

She shook her head, her brown and jade eyes closed momentarily. "Dionysia isn't going to last long against him. I'm going in to convince him to stop."

Etoile barred her from moving forwards with his right arm. "Just a moment..." he started. "How do you know him?"

Li Xian sighed. "He practically came over once he helped me out because I made coffee. Then I managed to bribe information out of him with more coffee."

Athenia frowned. "That can't be true," she warned.

"Better than our guesses. Besides, I had a feeling he wasn't lying about what little he told me," Li Xian countered. "He's good at fighting, he's lived a long time, and his name is Fumetsu."

The tactician snorted, his crystal blue eyes a bit indignant. "He looked like he's 18. Must be brave or dumb to blatantly lie to you."

A groan. This argument was getting nowhere. "Can we agree that he has some sort of healing factor?" Li Xian tentatively asked. "I mean, Etoile and I were there. He ripped of his hands, and you know now that he has them back. Heck, he even punched you with them."

Athenia nodded. "That narrows my options a lot..." she muttered. "Knew I should've collected more information on him."

"Well, was I lying when I said I'm a fighter?"

Everyone jumped as Fumetsu causally stood there behind them, brushing some tiny bits of gravel out of his black hair. His mirror eyes were again unreadable.

"Jeez, Dionysia's Semblance was pretty nasty..." he sighed. "There goes a good hoodie."

Turning towards the ex-waitress, he bowed deeply. "Sorry about that, Li Xian."

He pulled it up, revealing a lesion to the left of his bellybutton that looked like a meteorite impact zone. Skin was awfully bruised to dark purple as blood oozed from the blunt force wound. A bit of puss stubbornly remained on it.

Li Xian exhaled to remain calm. "Can you stay around?" she asked.

Those mirror eyes again regarded her carefully. "Why not? Not like I have-"

THUNK!

Etoile had slammed the side of his lance into the back of Fumetsu's head. It was anti-climatic as the man who the whole group was hunting fell to the ground.

"Well, that solves everything," he said. "So... what now? Do we get him arrested or-"

"That wasn't very polite, kid."

A shield bash to the back of his head, again. "Jeez, stay down!" Athenia ordered.

"But I need a j-" Fumetsu said.

"Super Hi-Jump Sky Slam!"

Dionysia had somehow gained impressive airtime as she dove downwards and planted an elbow onto his back, causing him to arch upwards from the sheer force. Blood spurted out of his mouth from the sheer ridiculousness of the move.

Oh, and some of his ribs were broken. But that doesn't count.

"A-Am... I getting p-paid for this...?" he weakly said. He felt like he was actually dying from the lack of work. "Is... b-being a punching bag... p-profitable?"

Dionysia just straddled his upper back and smiled. "Go, hot chunk! Go!" she laughed, taking yet another swig of her chosen beverage. Whether or not it was alcoholic... well, nobody but the immortal knew. Whatever the case, she managed to trap his aims between her bare thighs. Li Xian wasn't sure if Dionysia was doing that on purpose.

Fumetsu's head slumped down in defeat.

Li Xian sighed as she sat down next to his head. "Come on," she gently said. "You're impossible sometimes."

"Shut up. You can be pretty stubborn too-" he replied.

The ex-waitress again slapped the immortal.

"Ow," he said. He shifted, trying to free an arm from Dionysia's legs. "You know, that does hurt..."

Li Xian rolled her eyes as she rubbed his cheek, where she slapped him not once, but twice now. "Sorry."

A little content smile appeared on his face as he closed his mirror eyes.

"It looks like you have all finished your chase. Impressive skills, I must say."

There he stood, an impressive man that towered over them. His white hair flowed over his youthful face, with intelligent (and mischievous) golden eyes and his black glasses. With a woolen jacket, a finely tailored pair of black dress pants, and a green flowing scarf, Ozpin smiled as he twirled his can absentmindedly while his mug of coffee remained in his hand.

"H-Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon!?" three of the four trainees said. The fourth, Li Xian, wondered where on Remnant Fumetsu disappeared to.

* * *

 _ **Ah! I finally got back control! Jeez, Fumetsu basically locked down the internet so hard I had to shut it down and write this offline.**_

 _ **But I finally did it! I'm free for now.**_

 _ **He'll be back-**_

 _O.S, did you-_

 _ **FOR THE LOVE OF F***ING REALITY JUST SHUT UP!**_

 _Okay, okay! Jeez, don't get triggered._

 _ **Your name is a trigger word. Don't even get me started here.**_

 _ **DO. NOT. TEST. ME.**_

 _ **You may have a terrifying temper. But do not threaten me.**_

 _Fine. For now._

 _ **Good...**_

 _ **Anyways, some notes:**_

 _ **\- Xera Stark kindly provided two characters for me! Thank you Xera, and read his story "XRSA's Flame" while you're at it!**_

 _ **\- andy2396 and I are planning a little short story. As for what is it, ain't telling you. You'll have to read his "Hero of Remnant: Veil of the Aether".**_

 _ **\- Betaing! Do expect updates to slow down a bit. Not to mention college applications... T-T**_

 _ **So yeah, that's all-**_

 _Anyways, this is still my story. You just had something to say, O.S. But remember this: I'm in control here. I still know who you li-_

 _ **I made you for damn sake. Of course you know who I like...**_

 _Shut it. I suppose I should say "see you next week" or "catch yah later" or even the generic "bye"._

 _But that'd all be a lie._


	5. Sì: Vale!

_**Fumetsu, I know you like Donald Trump.**_

 _What? Not every day that you get to see a orange-skinned man that shouldn't even be rich in the first place run an already great country. It's like watching how progressively worse a typical harem anime goes, like Infinite Stratos._

 _ **Don't go there Fumetsu... you'll have to-**_

 _No,_ _you'll_ _have to deal with an angry fanbase, if there is any of it left. That anime is also old as hell. And frankly, most of the tropes within it are from the West. In other words, it's your problem now._

 _Besides, this is my story. And to be honest, I'm been reading up on some opponents. There's a white-haired kid I'm itching to fight, for no reason at all. Just for the hell of it._

 _ **You realize-**_

 _That I don't really care about the consequences. You'll do it, or else..._

 _ **Fine! Jeez! More Chinese! (These are calligraphy terms.)**_

 _ **Diǎn: "**_ _dot"._

 _ **Héng: "**_ _horizontal"._

* * *

 **Sì: Vale!**

* * *

Li Xian never thought she say this: she didn't need money. When Ozpin had approached her and offered her a sponsorship to Beacon, she took it. Never in a thousand years would she have expected such good luck.

It was pretty ironic, too, given the job she took in Atlas: a maid waitress. At least the cafe she worked at was somewhat reputable, unlike the dozens of shady ones... filled with pimps and pros-

 _Okay. Let's not think about that._

She remembered the hardships of simultaneously being hit on by presumptuous men and struggling to live decently. But she had to admit, she made progress during that time. In two years, she had fully moved from **Qi Condensation** to **Foundation Establishment** , essentially increasing her abilities to the point where she could defend against the majority of opponents she faced.

Of course, she knew where she stood in the world of Hunters and Huntresses: somewhere in the middle. Her time in living in the world gave her various insights on the difference between the Cultivation World that her parents lived and breathed in and the Hunter/Huntress World the rest of the population were part of.

In general, cultivators were more powerful than their Hunter counterparts. They had potential, alongside with techniques that could drastically enhance their defensive or offensive abilities once learned and properly comprehended. Their weapons and tools, with their next-to-magical (or just straight-up mystical) properties, could make any aspiring Hunter cry with jealousy. Added with their Aura and their Semblance, cultivators could trample on the Hunters.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple.

In the first place, cultivators had a more difficult time growing stronger. Their need to absorb the natural energy of Remnant or consume various Dust crystals and to synthesize it into their soul and body meant that they had more requirements to fulfill than a regular Hunter. In addition, such a process took much longer. A Signal student could be a Hunter in training in about two, three years. In comparison, it took on average 10 years for a cultivator to reach the same level of strength- and some weren't even guaranteed to ever become that strong within their _lifetime_.

It didn't end there. Techniques, unless one was in a sect or lucky enough to find one, were extremely rare. Without such scriptures and abilities, a cultivator could not demonstrate his or her full power in combat. Tools were equally difficult to find.

To sum it up- if you, as a cultivator, could trek the long path to power, nobody under the Heavens could match you. But if misfortune met you at any point- you were gone. It would take years to gain strength- years your opponents could kill you with. And once you lost that time, you would never get it back.

Li Xian sighed, brushing a earthy brown front bang to her side. Ever since she met Fumetsu, she let her hair grow out more slightly past her shoulders. It felt more... right to her. She didn't know why. It was like she was meant to have that style.

Well, to be fair, it _did_ fit her better than her short hair.

She shook her head. _Not the time to be distracted_. _I've got to find the terminal from here straight to Beacon. Jeez, Atlesian airports are the worst..._

That was a understatement. The line going through the luggage scanners was about... say, two hundred people long? She arrived about two hours ago, and her flight was in two more hours.

For Li Xian, she really didn't want a repeat of the past, when she immigrated to Atlas. In other words, a pat-down or stop-and-frisk.

She took her her sheathed treasured jian, **Fa He Ci**. It was made partily based on her research on Hunter/Huntress weaponry, primarily bladed weapons. When she first examined them, she was amazed at the multiple functions they seemed to provide as both gun and sword.

Then again, she couldn't aim a gun for her life. It just didn't feel right, aiming at something with an impersonal feeling.

So she experimented with what she had. She managed to call in various favors from friends she made to craft her weapon. And before she even started to do so...

She sigh. Nobody was looking. She couldn't sense the Aura of a cultivator anywhere nearby.

Carefully, she took out an beat-up book made of pages that somehow withstood the test of time. Barely legible on the cover was the title that stirred her heart the most. It was written in a language that only she and fellow cultivators knew.

 **Foundation of the Great Art of Alchemy**

 **By Shénnóng**

It radiated ancientness and power through her body, flooding it with the sense and majesty of nature. From it came a sense of completion and peace, like a clear pond.

Just with this treasure, she felt reborn. And yet, she also felt puzzled. It was like this was meant to be hers, like destiny. When she discovered the chamber it was in, everything seemed to slide away in deference to her as if she was its master.

None of the pages were folded. All of them were made in consistent size, with margins on the side for easy note-taking. The text was exhilaration, detailed enough to fill Li Xian in and yet light enough that she could comprehend it all. And the first page...

She flipped to it.

 _ **To whoever reads this,**_

 _You were destined to find this book. To learn alchemy. To understand and discover. To undergo hardship, only to surpass them all._

 _You and I were destined to be connected._

 _When you are ready, when you have understood everything here, you are ready to meet me. Only when you have committed all the herbs and plants detailed in this, along with what alchemy is, can you dare to even see me._

 _Only when you have found your Dao can you dare call yourself an alchemist._

 _May the Heavens smile on you..._

 **\- Shénnóng**

Li Xian couldn't understand why it brought a tear to her eyes. The first she opened the book, she saw a flashback. She could see Shénnóng. And somehow, despite being _very_ sure she had never met him... her heart hurt at the sight of him.

The man was 5'11". With short cropped black hair and intense jade-green eyes, he was handsome in a roguish way. His face held the same combination of devilishness, sweetness, and cuteness as a certain immortal's, but it seemed to focus more on the gentle aspect of him. With his chiseled muscles that bulged but didn't detract from his inherently slim frame, he was already a marvelous Heaven-sent sight.

His strong ox horns on the side of his head only made him more attractive. They exited at his temples, looming straight out and then up. In the light of the flashback, they glinted with a beige white color that finished in a dark warm brown at its tip.

Around him grew herbs that she could tell could perform miracles. One swallowed a stray puff of flame from another plant and grew an inch taller. Another seemed to radiate cold, chilling the air around it to form a layer of frost and ice on its leaves. Yet another sprung around, as if alive, before actually uprooting itself and frolicking like a child.

That time, she could only look into his eyes. They smiled, gently, warmly.

 _Shénnóng..._

Another sigh as she finally put away the book into her backpack- carry-on baggage for the flight. She really didn't want it confiscated.

"Someone's thinking of a certain guy, huh~"

Li Xian could recognize that drunken tone of voice anywhere, especially after that night. It didn't help her sudden blush, though.

"Dionysia, you've got to give up your wine flasks. You know that, right?" she said to the chestnut-haired teen as she turned towards her.

Dionysia, thankfully, was dressed slightly more conservatively. She wore a tighter white woolen jacket that managed to mostly cover up the straps of her red tank top underneath it. She wore black yoga pants that, although covering, accentuated the sensual figure of her legs.

In other words, she was still as attention-grabbing as she was before with a mini-skirt.

She shrugged, taking a huge gulp of her preferred beverage before suddenly hugging Li Xian. "You're such a friend. I'll be totally fine, I know it! I mean, I'm fine with waiting in line, and oh! That guy over there looks cute! Can I have your name?"

Li Xian rolled her brown and green eyes. She didn't bother looking where she was pointing. "Yeah, yeah," she replied. "It's Li Xian. What else?"

"Call me Nysia! We're totally best buds, right!" Violet eyes the color of wine stared back at Li Xian's own in wonder. "Wow, you're eyes are so exotic! You must be popular with guys!"

"That's pretty odd from a girl with red wine glasses for eyes, and who's friends with a fighter with crystal blue eyes," the cultivator replied. "Look at yourself, for one. I think your eyes are much more attractive than mine."

Stubbornly, Nysia shook her head. "Any more than one color is really really really cool!" she exclaimed as her hands found themselves to Li Xian's chest. "Hey, what's your size!? It's a shame for someone like you to be hiding such a lar-"

"Out," Li Xian practically hissed. "Not here."

Another familiar figure came into view. "Nysia, we're in an airport. The last thing we need is to give any of the security guards any 'ideas'," Athenia said. "Like pat-downs."

"But Alene! It's really soft and firm and big and squishy! I feel jealous!" Nysia complained. "Let me check her size, Alene! Hold on! I'm going in!"

Fiercely, she squeezed Li Xian's large twin peaks, kneading them with her hands as she moved them around to test them.

" _Going in"? More like going out with the security guards for practically sexually assaulting me. This is embarrassing..._

 _What if he saw me like this? I mean, Fumetsu wouldn't care about this-_

"It's- It's- It's a-"

"What's going on here?"

Both Athenia and Li Xian froze momentarily at the voice. Nysia continued on as if she was never interrupted.

"She has at least a F-cup!" the happy drunkard said, smiling without a care in the world.

A unaffected face stared back at her. "Thank you. Now I'm getting patted down too. Do you know how much time that takes?" he calmly replied. "With the line so large, you could easily miss your flight."

Fear appeared on two of the beautiful Huntresses-nearly-in-training. The other one took another swig of her drink.

"I'll be fine, hot chunk," Nysia easily said. "It's all in the execution! Just go boom, boom and peek-a-boo, and they'll be off their merry way~"

As she did so, she pulled up her jacket a bit, revealing a slim body that fit perfectly with her flexible frame. Teasingly, she pulled it up as she stepped closer to him.

Mirror eyes stared, irritated, into the tipsy fighter's wine-colored eyes. "No," he said. "Don't even think about it."

Another step as she captured his right arm. Li Xian was trying her hardest not to draw her jian and challenge Nysia.

He yawned before glaring at her. He lifted his arm up, trying to swing her off his limb which was now nearly stuck between two... mounds...

"Get off the booze, kid. Duty-free is up ahead," he said.

She still stubbornly remained, however. Her face puffed up in a cutely and endearingly immature way (to most people).

"Not until you reach to Li Xian's bust-" Nysia started.

"Don't want to go there. Don't even know who're you're talking about," he snapped. "Now get back in line, young lady, and don't block it. I've got a flight in an hour or so."

Disappointed, she went back to her carry-on baggage- a purple backpack filled to the brim- before promptly messing around in the line again by flirting a bit.

Li Xian stood in line, standing by him. His features seemed to fade away to reveal Fumetsu. Those mirror eyes, the style of his hair-

 _ **It's pretty obvious, isn't it?**_ _**I stick out a bit, eh?**_ the immortal asked through a mind connection.

She rolled her eyes. From the outside, she seemed to disapprove of Nysia's actions, but in reality she disagreed with the immortal.

 _You stick out a lot, you know?_

 _ **Maybe I do. But that's only because I'm standing next to someone so beautiful. Or near so many good-looking women, for that matter. Just having Nysia "interested" in me was already like how she groped you. Then having her go close and purposefully put my arm between her boobs was like you and her stripping a bit-**_

Never before had she ever felt such a violent rush of blood to her cheeks. Her head was pounding as her heartbeat went from 70 beats per minute to 170. And as she was processing it all, she violently backhanded the immortal so hard that even travelers from the back of the screening line could feel it. Heck, it even hurt her hand! Her earth-brown and leaf-green eyes dilated as Fumetsu reeled back a bit.

 _Y-YOU SHAMELESS, P-PERVERTED, DIRTY L-LITTLE-!_

 _ **Hmm? Oh! Sorry 'bout that. Although...**_

He stood up fully, and gave her an apologetic smile as he scratched his hair.

 _ **I didn't know you were so partial to yuri.**_

Li Xian resisted the urge to beat up Fumetsu from the sheer embarrassment he gave her. She had no idea how he could fluster her so easily.

 _F-FUMETSU!_

 _ **Okay, what is it now? I was right?**_

 _YOU I-IDIOT!_

The immortal sighed as he continued to communicate via mind-to-mind. _**... You realize that doesn't help me a lot, right? So... you like yuri? You're homosexual? Not that I care, really, with a flight so soon to Vale... Heck, the fandom has ships like White Rose and Bumblebee and others, along with genderbents and hermaphrodites, so it's not that surprising.**_

Li Xian couldn't say anything back. On one hand, she wanted to so desperately say she was straight- until she realized that would've been like confessing to him. On the other hand, she had absolutely no idea what White Rose and Bumblebee was. In addition, she knew what a genderbent was, but hermaphrodite... that was new.

And as for the fandom... well, she supposed the crowd that always watched Weiss and her talk would be "fans".

 _ **Hmm... Should I have used "futanari"?**_

Nevermind. She knew now.

 _You. Are. The. Most. Perverted. Person. I've. Ever. Met._

 _ **I am- Oh for the love of deities! What the hell did I just say!?**_

His face dusted red as he covered his mouth in horror. Li Xian had no idea if he was actually feeling shame or just faking it, but the way he looked was adorable. She just wanted to hug him for no good reason at all.

 _Remember, we're in public sight..._

 _ **Hey! You literally realize that I could get arrested for this, right!? That's the last thing I want!**_

 _Oh, really?_

She smirked as she jabbed her right pointer finger at the top of Fumetsu's sternum, even going so far to momentarily finger his undershirt.

To anyone else, he looked like a untidy secretary for an Schnee company. He wore black dress shoes made out of cheap leather, along with gray dress pants made out of dyed wool and a belt of woven leather strips. Over that was his pure white dress shirt (with a Schnee snowflake blazoned on its breastpocket and its top part unbuttoned) and beneath that an undershirt as gray as stone.

His jacket was just a formalized gray black wool hoodie, possibly to gather as much heat from the sunlight in Atlas. Beside him was his blue luggage bag and drawsack.

 _Then you have to promise me to do anything~_

 _ **L-Like what...!?**_

 _Oh, I don't know. Maybe... "comfort" me?_

At that exact moment, Fumetsu spat out water, which came from the bottle he held to moisturize his dry throat, into the nearest trash can. He wiped his mouth with the back of his free left hand.

 _ **ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?**_

 _Am I~?_

 _ **Well... I guess it wouldn't be too bad...**_

The immortal took Li Xian's hand, gently guiding her out of the way of incoming fliers as her face turned bright red. The tips of her ears began steaming a bit as she moved closer to Fumetsu... to beat the s*** out of him with high-velocity sucker punches. To his credit, he didn't move from his spot; he stood there, patting her back reassuringly. Not that it helped Li Xian's feelings, though.

"Ow..." he complained. "Come on. Flight to Vale is at F9, right? And then we take the shuttle to Beacon. It's only scanning in between, and then we'll be on our merry way."

Fumetsu rolled his baggage away from the dividers and towards security, plopping his items onto two gray, plastic security buckets. In two steps, he removed his shoes- comfortable crossovers between the two realms of tennis and leather.

 _Wait! Don't you have metal-_

One step immediately set off the alarms.

 _ **Ah... oops?**_

 _What do you mean, oops!_

Tiredly, an officer yawned. "Any metal on you that you didn't tell us about?" she said.

"Oh, I had a reinforcing frame attached to my skeleton," he immediately said. "Experimental treatment for broken bones, since they wouldn't respond to standard treatments. Long story."

Shut, dreary eyes immediately widened as they first stared in disbelief. "Oh, 'experimental'? Yeah, right. Just come along for a patdown-"

Fumetsu scratched his hair. "Look, I've got a flight soon-"

"You will do this, or we will have to conduct a strip search," the officer simply informed.

"Oh, really? Then do it," the immortal challenged.

The officer reached down her body, grasping the whistle that dangled just between her barely noticeable twin peaks. (Li Xian was envious, by the way. How would it feel not to endure back pain?) She planted it in her lips and blew three short shrills: a call for backup.

As the immortal turned around, throwing up his hands, three other security workers tackled him. They practically pushed him harshly onto the tiled floor, then piled onto him like a hydraulic press on a killer robot.

"Feels like I hit steel rebar," one of them complained as they hauled up Fumetsu. Their hands locked the immortal's own immobile. "What should we do?"

The officer examined those silver eyes cautiously. "Tie him up and run him through the carry-on luggage scanner," she said. "If he wants it done quick, let's make it quick. And if that doesn't work out, do the search."

Those hands that grasped the whistle now dangling between those peaks held something at her side: handcuffs.

A short nod. "Roger that."

"Hey! Let go already!" Fumetsu protested as those metal cuffs clamped onto his wrists. "I demand a lawyer-"

The officer simply pulled out a club. "Clip it! Also, put his a** in a bucket!"

Unceremoniously, the three workers plopped him onto the conveyor belt to the scanner, pushing him flat as possible. True to the female supervisor's orders, he went down a** first. With two metallic clicks, his wrists were manacled together by shining cuffs.

"Hey! I have personal rights-"

Enforcement simply forced him through the scanner as the supervisor examined the image. She leaned back in disbelief, before scrutinizing the immortal's bones. They were deep blue in contrast to the more orange and white color of the rest of his body.

"This is..."

The conveyor belt that moved buckets across the line pushed him out, leaving him to hit his head on plastic.

"Ma'am! What should we do?" the workers asked.

A glare at the immortal. "Stop and frisk."

Li Xian soon realized the implications of that search. _She gets to touch him all over the place._

Moments later, she realized how illogical her thought was. _Wait, of course. Anybody would think he's some kind of killer robot._

Still, it told her how seemingly connected she was to him. She felt envy when others made moves on him, even if she knew they meant nothing of it. She felt her heart trembling when he made even the slightest physical touch with her, or when he was too close.

 _Not to mention I'll probably be seeing him again... Well, I guess it'd be good to have a favor or two._

"Um, hi?" Li Xian said. "I'm with him-"

The officer waved her hand away. "Carry on."

The former waitress sighed. "He was in an accident 3 years ago," she patiently lied. "Got hit by a military transport in Atlas by accident, which broke all his bones due to the speed it was going. Luckily, he survived, and the military there compensate him by performing the experimental treatment they were talking about."

Slightly rough hands yanked the chain between the handcuffs, dragging Fumetsu onto his feet in a surprising show of strength. "You honestly expect me to believe that?" she said.

Li Xian shook her head. "No. I expect you to believe the forms he has."

Quietly, she took out a slim stack of papers from Fumetsu's luggage, handing it over to her. Earthy-brown eyes watched the supervisor as she examined the packet carefully in disbelief.

"I, General Ironwood, certify that this incident has occurred, and that Bone White was compensated fully for this incident," she said. "Alright, this seems adequate. Carry on, then."

Swiftly, Fumetsu slid his belt and shoes back on before picking up his carry-on luggage.

"Good save," he commented. "I guess we can go to Beacon now."

She took a breath as she looked up at him, meeting his silver (but still mirror eyes). "We?" she asked.

He smiled a bit. "You were practically hopping around in excitement like a girl high on Forever Fall syrup. Based on that, and the destination on your ticket..."

The immortal smirked as he held up Li Xian's ticket. He got an adorable pout and a harsh slap to his face. Damn, she could hit hard. Fumetsu actually thought she'd dislocate his jaw.

"... and my guess that you got a sponsorship from Ozpin, you're going to Beacon. Am I right?" he continued.

Li Xian sighed as she plucked her ticket from his light grip. "You act like an idiot most of the time," she complained. "And you? Going to Beacon as well?"

He nodded as he began walking towards terminal E. "I applied for a job there."

The celestial maiden scoffed. "Job?" she asked.

Fumetsu laughed a bit. "Okay, that's a bit of a lie," he admitted. "Does 'jobs' sound better?"

By then, they were already within sight of E9: rows of seats made up of metal and pseudo-leather. Bored families, workers, and businessmen waited, lounging on them in various levels of alertness. It was a bit dull- well, it would've been without Nysia making moves on every cute teenager and Athenia trying to pull her back.

"Economy class on the airship?" the immortal asked.

"You're tell me... you applied for not one, but..." Li Xian began.

He grinned. "Five jobs?"

"... How?" she asked as she brushed away some of her hair from her face. "Wait, which ones?"

Nervously, he laughed. "You... might not want to know. I mean-"

Athenia had finally gotten Nysia under control, dragging her back as the drunken brawler sung a romantic tune for the unfortunate teenager she was serenading, complete with sensual belly dance and an actual amethyst gem (wherever the hell she found it). She stopped, tightening her grip on Nysia as she leaned in towards Fumetsu. "You... applied for five jobs!? Do you have a death wish!?" she shrieked.

"Well, my chances are pretty low for three of them, so I might as well," he defended. "Besides, it's really easy to get fired in Vale. If one of them needs more time, I'll ditch a job, call it quits."

"And if you get the job for all five of them, and all of them need you...?" Athenia asked, her crystal blue eyes widening.

He shrugged. "They're all at Beacon, for starters. I can multi-task pretty well. After all, I'm a man with many talents, like making sure those weapons of yours are legal."

Glancing at her, he shrugged before his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, you're that applicant with the Nikos ripoff weapon. Just change black to red, and viola! A doppelganger of Nikos!" he said.

Athenia let go of Nysia, the air around her turning a bit... angry?

"In the first place, that's a coincidence-" she started.

"Yes, it's a coincidence that the specs are almost the same, the designs are almost the same, and the ranged form is _exactly_ the same," Fumetsu said. "The only difference is that your spearpoint explodes- and that's about it."

He scratched his head, tilting his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, it's just that... well, I used to be a teacher at a pretty bad school in Vacuo. It was almost out in the middle of nowhere, and all the kids were pretty roguish with their sand bombs and whatever weapon they had. Can't blame them for that. But... they did steal a lot, even taking a watch from me. Hate cheaters and plagiarizers, so I got pretty worked up, eh? Terribly sorry, once again. So I ended up noticing when I saw your design in the office one day."

Athenia backed off a bit, grabbing Nysia by the wrist without so much as a glance. "No problem," she coldly replied.

He nodded as he held out his hand. "Gray. Gray Ashton. You look wonderful, by the way."

Li Xian agreed. She also agreed with herself to strangle the immortal by her side to death, for some odd reason. What was it called... Oh! Maybe jealousy? Though hopefully, this wouldn't break Athenia's exterior at all.

The red-haired tactician burst into steam in a rushing blush as red as her hair. She extended her hand outwards almost robotically while she muttered something about romance, "is he interested?", and "do I like him"? (The answer to those questions: oh HELL no, and no.) Stiffly, she shook his hand.

"T-T-T-T-hank you!" she squealed, before she dragged Nysia off to the opposite side of the waiting area.

"I'll be back, hot chunk~!" Nysia shouted at Fumetsu.

Both Li Xian and Fumetsu stood together, watching the two momentarily.

"I didn't know you were a two-faced charmer," the warrior said, her earth-colored eyes examining the scene in front of her.

Mirror eyes sighed. "You realize I didn't know that'd happen, right? I offer a compliment to diffuse the situation, but... well, it didn't turn out that way. If it makes you feel better, I don't have anything to say about you."

A glare. "You're saying that-"

"No, no," he interrupted. "I'd have to say 'you're beautiful' all the time then. It's why I'm not even bothering-"

Fumetsu stopped, his voice cutting out in a strangled choke as he realized what he just said. He quickly turned his face away from Li Xian as he berated himself for his words.

Two hands forced him to look back into those earth-brown eyes, with those wondrous specks of green. They felt the warmth in those slightly smooth cheeks as they grew hotter. And-

"U-Um... Our flight's here," Fumetsu said, his eyes slightly different. Those windows to the soul were even more reflective than before. He took her hand and pulled her, gently, towards the boarding ramp as he let his grip slip off. Fluidly, he swung his backpack on as he picked up his carry-on luggage.

The maiden smiled, giggling a bit as she followed him. She took quicker steps to catch up, eventually slowing her pace as she walked by his side. "And where are you going?"

Li Xian could tell how hard he was trying to keep his face neutral- his muscles were twitching. It was hilarious to see him so affected.

"Seat," he growled adorably.

She frowned in mock confusion. "Weird. I swore I was sitting on you... Was my ticket wrong?"

He promptly spat out a bit of blood in embarrassment. The maiden had to restrain her laughter at his reaction. Since when did teasing him become so fun!

"Yep."

A gentle pout. "Then~ What was it?"

Fumetsu looked into her eyes seriously. "Don't even think about it. I'll switch with Dio-"

"Fine, fine, fine! Just don't do that..." Li Xian said as she realized what he was about to do.

A sigh reached her ears as he patted her head. "You really think I'd do that? I must be an idiot then," the immortal said. "Besides... ah, never mind."

Adorably, she sighed, a gentle, subtle smile on her face as she tilted her heavenly face slightly.

"You are an idiot, most of the time," she whispered.

The immortal sported a knowing smirk and an almost sad look in his mirror eyes. Li Xian could clearly read that emotion, loud and clear. It was a pained sorrow... and she had no idea why it was there.

"Come on. Unless you want to miss the flight?" he said.

Earth-brown eyes closed as a hand slapped Fumetsu and grabbed him by his collar. "You..."

With that, Li Xian yanked Fumetsu onto the commercial airship.

* * *

"I'll have whatever you recommend. I'm... new here."

Junior nodded as he took the lady's order. "In that case, I'll ask a few questions. "Cold or hot?"

"Hot."

"With ice or not?"

"No ice."

"Alcoholic? Because I'm not seeing over 18 here," the bar owner grumbled. "The last time an underage girl ordered a drink, I got a fist to the balls before being punched out of my club. When I got back in, literally all my minions were beat up. Then I spent a week cleaning out the scorch marks on the dance floor."

A rag came out to wipe the top clean. "So please, don't destroy anything."

Amused, the woman giggled. "No promises," she said. "But if I do, I'll pay you back."

Junior nodded cautiously. Working in his line of business meant that he encountered various criminals and a plethora of powerful villains. Some of them were perhaps the most seductive people he had ever met.

Now? He had to revise that list.

She wasn't the most curvaceous or well-endowed woman he had ever met. Yet she gave off an aura of wisdom, of stacks of knowledge. It was a feeling that made you feel safe, that could comfort you like the heat from a campfire.

Not to mention, her face wasn't bad either. If Junior had to rate her, she would be a model- barely, though. Her jawbone was well-defined, to be sure, as it rounded out slightly at her delicate chin. Her eyes were beige- the color of well-used pages in the library- and as placid as a still lake within a picture. Her hair was black, like a leather cover of a novel. Not to mention her slightly tanned but immaculate skin...

Ahem! Don't get _too_ distracted.

As for her body, it was slightly difficult to tell under the white and worn scholarly robes she wore modestly. He made a reasonable guess that she was slim, her body taut with toned muscle that deferred more towards feminine beauty. With her above-average bust and subtle curves, he found that each part of her complemented each other. Not to mention her youth (17? 18? Most likely 20...)

Junior's final judgement: as a beauty, she'd grab some attention. But as a fighter...

Well, he couldn't tell. That puzzled him, slightly.

Everyone gave off an inherent "will" that reflected the person who gave it off. It showed their personality, their tendencies, their desires. Although it could be faked, Junior knew that very few people could successfully take on another's "aura". In general, this method worked.

The woman in front of him gave him none of that. Unlike the pages that her eyes seemed to contain, she was unreadable.

"Well, that's a relief," Junior replied. "Guess I'll my chances this time. Still want to order, lady?"

With her left hand, she brushed some of her long, shoulder length hair away. "Yes. I suppose I want hot scotch."

The bartender owner raised an eyebrow. "Haven't heard that in a long time," he commented. "Most just go straight for the newest hit or want a margarita. Kids these days should just savor their drink instead of gulping it down like they're fish going upstream."

She smiled. "The past is pretty important to people like me," she said. "To understand, to enjoy, to move past it: that is how I feel about what has already happened. I suppose I should go with a hot toddy, then. If it is not too much to ask, can I have it with some lemon and a dash of nutmeg? I find cinnamon to be too hot for me."

Junior chuckled. "Not too many ask for it these days, so it's fine. Besides, we have plenty of whisky. Does Atlesian sound good?"

Her eyes closed, considering. "I prefer alcohol from Vacuo," she stated. "They have a warmer taste. Not to mention, they have a much larger variety. So-"

"Junior, so good to-"

"Excuse me, but I was talking to him." The woman turned towards the newcomer slightly.

A man stepped into the club, plunging it into silence. He was very plain except for the hat. "Cap it, you- Oh my, what a wonderful lady here. You look very nice this evening. Care to have a drink?"

"I already have ordered mine. Could you please not interrupt my conversation with Junior?" she said calmly.

"Ah, don't be so mean girl! I got something-"

Her hand relaxed as a scroll came into existence in a flourish of ink black: a energy unknown to all present. It was worn by the tear of time, the paper tanned by those who parsed through its precious contents. With surprising speed, it unrolled.

In comparison to the paper, the letters upon it were beyond profound (and unreadable). They seemed to have a life of their own, pulsating each with their own heartbeats in a somehow synchronized manner. The brush strokes that made up each character, each héng, each diǎn...

They flowed seamlessly together into completion.

"Earth Recruits, come out," she lightly said.

Three characters shone with a dark light.

"地新兵". ( **Dìxīnbīng** )

The floor shook, then cracked, prompting Junior to swear at the damage. A hand formed from broken glass shards, concrete, and rebar, before rising up alongside an arm of dirt. The earth-based being stood up in the depression its birth created, clothed in its lamellar armor: a mixture of tiles and foundation stone.

Two more of the soldiers followed, causing Junior to break the glass in his hand. From the ground they rose from, they drew their weapon: steel rebar bangs.

Yes, bangs. They're a kind of staff.

The man backed away, drawing a smooth, dull pistol from his pocket. "Oh, lady, you don't wanna know what I'll do with you know. You just messed with the wrong gang here-"

"Beat him up and make sure he never comes back," she said. "He's disturbing the owner, running an illegal enterprise, and threatening this establishment."

Three things stepped forwards, leveling metallic staffs at the armed gang leader.

"Dark Fedoras, blast'er," the leader said. "We've got a feisty one here, and I know just what to do with her."

As 26 more men and women who wore the eponymous hats filed into the club, with firearms at the ready, 4 more beings rose up from Junior's club. The owner was half tempted to just bust out his rocket launcher and start lighting up the place. Which, by the way, he owned.

Then again, if he did, he couldn't collect insurance on it...

One woman rushed forwards, armed with a shotgun. She slipped two iron slugs into the twin barrels of her weapon, before slamming the muzzle of the weapon into one of the recruits's head. One pull of the trigger unleashed the fury of two bullets designed to kill bears or Ursae. Take your pick.

While they took off a fist-sized chunk of concrete, the construct slammed its rebar bang into the gangster's gut, before following up with a crushing knee into her sternum and a tiled elbow into her left shoulder. She crumbled onto the ground, her body battered by what was essentially a rock going at the speed of a car.

"Fire up! Don't let those things hit you!"

"Load up the rockets! If we're getting beat, so will they then!"

The woman at the bar table sighed as she turned away from the fight. "My drink?" she asked amicably.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry about that..." Junior stammered in embarrassment. "They're one of my customers as well... Well, granted, they were a rowdy bunch, but they came for information."

An eyebrow raised. "So you are a broker for the underworld?" she said. "In that case, you can help me with something. You see..."

She slid a picture across the counter, one with . "I've been looking for this person. You see, this person was my master."

And then it hit her. His being. It was slight and milder than years past, but it was him.

He was coming to Vale.


	6. Intermission

_I was being murdered by APs and various tests, not to mention the piss-poor timing of my next chapter. One word: terrorists. 'Nuff said. T-T_

 _ **Sect:**_ _In the context of the fanfic, a organized group that often follows certain teachings._

* * *

 **Intermission**

* * *

Nothing existed. That was contradictory. Yet it was true all the same. So came Existence and Nothing.

It was a world carved from emptiness. One could call it the grounds of imagination. Things were created here. The world, the people, the knowledge... everything was made here.

But for what purpose? What end? When made, were they free? Or were they controlled by fate, arbitrarily woven by a god...

He drifted in nothingness, flipping and turning slowly as if in space. With no gravity to act upon him, he floated.

"They have many names. Daoists. Path-Treaders. Heaven-Seekers. More offensively, martial artists with superpowers."

His eyes remained closed in the space between worlds and stories, between the real and the imaginary, as pulsating and shimmering nothingness flowed around him. A white abyss, shadowed by its own, nonsensical existence. Nothing existed, but him.

Mirror eyes reflected nothing as they opened.

"They use a variety of techniques and number in the millions. They are powered by **qì.** The energy of the universe."

If one could see properly, they would know. That nothingness was existence.

That existence had **qì.** Pure energy. That miraculous thing...

"They are all the same in the end. Cultivators."

His voice held a bitter sharpness in it, as if watching tragedy all over again. Those mirror eyes had coldness that would snap whatever was before it. In fact, those eyes killed.

"They are, to put it in more 'modern' terms, demigods. Mortals who chose to walk the path to immortality and godhood. A path to become whatever you want, if you survive. Demons and devils. Angels and gods. Ghosts and spirits, heroes and villains, and so on."

Nothingness became something, even if indeterminate and intangible.

"They are the strongest of them all. The Grimm must bow to them, and humanity is not even worth their mention. To them, **Remnant** is a planet and nothing more. A massive Dust quarry for their use."

Time stopped as he stopped, standing as gravity took ahold.

"Cultivators. They are as arrogant, as always. They have deities that rival Remnant's legends, if not utterly surpass them. So why? Why do they never attack Remnant and not wipe everyone out?"

The empty world shook, then began to tear. That rip in space revealed Remnant in its glory as it floated in the vacuum around it.

"There are Dust crystals that they use to cultivate with, since they are rich in **qì.** The Grimm that roam the world can be used to cultivate, as well. In fact, they even say **Remnant** holds the legacy of **Shénnóng** , the first and greatest alchemist. Ah, so many legends. He made regeneration in a bottle, consumed lightning bolts, and even figured out a way to become immortal."

"So: isn't it tempting to find a pill that would transform you into a god?"

He laughed in a fit of pure, unadulterated madness, before forcing his jaw shut with his right hand. Power slammed his teeth together, splinting enamel into shards as blood flowed into his throat.

The shockwave rippled all around, to no effect. After all, there was nothing but him.

"They do not attack humanity because of me. I kill. I sever. I seal."

His voice was sane again. For now.

"They have gods and demons and devils and ghosts. They are the most brutal of all, their wars spanning the starry sky. And yet, every clan and sect either separates itself from civilization on **Remnant** or resides off-planet."

A grin. His teeth snapped in half, leaving bloody gums in their wake as blood trailed out of his mouth in a fading stream.

"At their top echelons are the **Paragons** , beings who hold 7 to 9 **Essences** of their **Dao**. Beings so powerful they may as well be gods. And yet, there is a level above them. **Daosource**. Summit. Heaven-Being."

"And then there's me. A concept they wish to perverse. A foundational being of a universe."

That mouth burst open, pulling itself out before sucking his face inwards. Skin and connective tissue ripped as it snaked into himself, all while his laugh became more distorted from incoming flesh. His voice sounded like it was being sucked into him, like silence speaking louder than words.

He became nothing.

...

...

Nothing existed. That was obviously a paradox.

So came Existence and Nothing- but before that, him.

The universe was his, and he denied it life. It was his, and he aborted it. Just like the unborn, future generations he killed.

* * *

 _Curse the path of ancient said_

 _Find despair and bleed all red_

 _Heaven_

 _Life_

 _Law_

 _?_

 _Find truth within self_

 _So speak it loud:_

 _I AM YOU_

 _I AM DAO_


	7. Wǔ: Maiden Flight

_**Well, it's time. Time to consider my options here. With an immortal-**_

 _Get back to work!_

 _ **Ugh, fine!**_

* * *

 **Wǔ: Maiden Flight**

* * *

Athenia couldn't understand the man sitting next to her on the airship.

With the flight proceeding smoothly, the airship flew through the air. The sky was devious of white, slowly spinning clouds, so she could see the flowing oceans beneath her. It scared her a bit to see such a mass of blue. It truly reminded her that she away from home.

 _Home. Where is home?_

For all her intelligence, it always irritated and worried her that she couldn't remember what home looked like. She came from somewhere. That was sure. She was someone. That was _indisputable_.

So it always worried her that despite being the person who knew so much, she knew next to nothing about herself.

Well, besides having the urge to kill all spiders with fire and beyond, loving to read literature voraciously, and preferring to stay as far as possible from large bodies of water. That was given.

Again, Athenia's crystal-blue eyes focused on the person to her right.

 _Etoile? He looks a lot like him..._

When they first worked together, she didn't really gather much information on him. Besides that he was royalty from Mistral and was skilled with a lance, she had next to nothing on him. But since she had free time and a sponsorship to Beacon...

... Well, she couldn't help but marvel at the similarities between the stranger on her right and Etoile.

He had golden blonde hair, like fresh sunlight falling onto him in the morning. It was messy, sure, but it made him more adorable rather than dirt-poor slovenly. Athenia appreciated the minute detail.

At the same time, his brown eyes warmed her up. They were kindly, playful, understanding. They could set anyone at ease.

And his frame-

"Hey, look at this. They updated the emergency manual."

"Huh?" Athenia said.

A smirk. "See the section where they talk about aquatic evacuation? They changed the slide design to fit more people onto it. They also changed the instructions to have less steps and recolored it so that the colorblind can read it. Not to mention the evacuation procedure for when the ship is about to crash onto land..."

As he continued on, Athenia soon realized he was right. That, however, took a backseat to how she was drawn to him. Even though she had no interest in the safety guide itself, she was pulled into the conversation by his sheer charisma.

No. Charisma wasn't quite right. It was the way that she found herself more interested in him, even going so far as to shift closer to him.

"Pretty interesting, eh?" he finally remarked. "Don't you agree- A-Athenia!"

Heat rushed across her face as red burst into color across the now familiar person. "Eto-"

Swiftly, he covered her mouth with his hand, prompting another flush of blood to her cheeks. "Shhh!" he whispered quietly. "I'm undercover! If you have to, just call me Eliot!"

"U-U-Uhhhh..." the red-haired tactician stuttered, her voice muffled.

His two hands then held her right hand. "Please?" he begged.

With her mouth unable to form words, she could only nod her head.

Etoile let out a sigh of relief as he gave her a grin. "Thanks... You don't know how much that means to me. By the way, your face is really red~"

"E-EEEP!" Athenia squeaked uncharacteristically, causing Etoile to giggle.

Nysia's head popped out from the magazine she was reading. "Alene~, you're boyfriend is cute~" she said.

The prince-in-hiding shooed her away with a hand, though he did smile. "Heya, Nysia. Long time no see."

The drunken girl grinned widely (and adorably, like a half-awake kitten) as she leaned over and gave him a squeezing hug. "Little Prince~ You're back~!" she sang, before she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Predictably, Athenia would've been scandalized had she not been blushing so hard. Her head was becoming light, and the air around her face seemed to become hotter...

"Plug it, Champagne Girl," Etoile said, smiling. He gave her two kisses in the air on the sides of her head.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Athenia shrieked, momentarily garnering the attention of all the fellow fliers before they turned back to their activities. "Y-You-You-You-"

Both Nysia and Etoile turned to her as she sat dead middle of both of them.

The drunken brawler grinned. "Somebody's getting envious~ Alene, it's fine; we can take turns~"

Brown eyes deadpanned at Nysia. "What? This is just a custom of my family. How is-"

His voice stopped as he put his right hand on his mouth. "Oh my... Oh my..."

The red-haired tactician seized the prince by the scruff, dragging him just an inch close to her embarrassed face. Her hand was twitching from the force she gripped his clothing with. Those crystal-blue eyes stared him down, as if interrogating him.

"You insufferable... idiot..." she growled. "You and your stupid customs, stupid you, stupid-"

Nysia giggled. "Somebody's jealous~ But don't worry Little Prince! She just gets into that mood when she gets stunned by something. That means she's into you~"

"But this is our second meeting," Etoile pointed out. "This isn't love at first-"

"Eyes on m-me, Eliot," Athenia commanded. "I-If this so called 'c-custom' of yours is real, then y-you better do it and pull it off. And i-if it isn't...

Her fingers dug deeper into his clothing, momentarily touching Etoile's chest.

"I-I'll make sure you r-regret it..."

Etoile steeled his nerves for a moment, thinking. His pupils were dilated, lost in thought. Athenia could only guess what he was thinking...

 _Does he... like... No, he possibly can't._

Weirdly, her thoughts were clear. She could use logic. It was something she had never felt before, and it scared her.

One side. Another side. She could feel his lips brushing by her right cheek lightly (and accidentally, she realized, judging by the heat that emanated from his face).

That placid calm only continued, warming her from the inside-out. She _really_ wished she could understand it, but she didn't even know what it was. It was because of Etoile: that was the only sure thing.

"Done."

He leaned back, hiding his face from Athenia as he looked out at the skies.

"It's honestly just a tradition in my homeland, okay?" Etoile nervously said. "It's not anything in that way..."

He hand gripped the armrest, preparing to launch off of it so he could make his escape. Athenia simply placed her own on his hand, her more delicate fingers falling between his knuckles.

"Stay," she simply said. "Did I ever say you could leave? I have a few questions..."

At that, Etoile slowly turned as an aura of cold, calculating fury fell around Athenia.

"Who are you exactly?"

The lights above him flickered a bit, making him jump.

"Uhh..." he began nervously. "I'm... just a guy sitting next to a beautiful lady?"

Bashfully, he scratched his head with his other hand, looking away at her. Likewise, so did Athenia, her anger forgotten and overthrown by even more embarrassment.

Etoile's left hand squeezed Athenia's right hand. It was the only way he could say "sorry" as of then. After all...

 _It's be insincere any other way... I guess he thinks I like it._

 _Which... isn't wrong._

Comfortable. That's how she felt at this moment. Even with the dearth of memories of the past that she held, she felt safer. Holding onto Etoile felt like anchoring her to a serene calm. It mystified her, enthralling her into peace.

"Now~ Kiss the bride~!" Nysia cooed, grinning ear to ear.

 _YOU-YOU!_

Steam erupted from Athenia's ears as Etoile looked on, concerned. He brought her closer to her slightly, allowing her to lie her head on his shoulder before giggling a bit.

"You are so easy to tease, aren't you?" he said. "You are such a romantic~"

He adopted Nysia's mischievous smirk, closing his eyes as his muscles relaxed a bit more.

"Ship~ Ship~ Ship~ Ship~ Ship~"

Athenia opened her crystal blue eyes, pouting.

"I think she gets the idea, Nysia. Please stop teasing her..." Etoile said.

"But there's a cute ship~"

Cue the five airships armed heavily with civilian killing weapons.

* * *

 _Is it me, or am I facing an awful lot of terrorists? Do I have to make offensive immigration jokes now? First, the White Fang knocks twice on my door; now some Mistrali spec-ops, obviously from a contending fiefdom of wherever the prince is from, roar into here with whatever their version of a Bullhead is? I'd call BS, but people would think I was complaining about onboard service._

Fumetsu glanced out the tripled-layered glass window, causally taking in the incoming aircraft.

 _Five airships, armed with anti-air guns and equipped with a few missiles here and there. Obviously, the fighters are armed to the teeth, due to how they've surrounded this flight. Though they probably are seeking to take the prince as hostage..._

 _Lucky me. I've got a backup plan if this airship tanks!_

He stood up, yawning casually as Li Xian warily watched the airships from her window seat. Her left hand gripped her armrest as if trying to break it. And- nevermind, she actually cracked it.

"Looks like we have more passengers," he remarked.

The celestial maiden sighed. "Yep, and they're all armed to the teeth. They aren't the problem."

The aisles were empty: all the passengers were cooped up in their seats in fear. Mothers anxiously held their children as crying engulfed the cabin.

"Missiles take a while to be armed," the immortal remarked. "Around 0.1 to 0.2 seconds, I bet, with their model."

Earth-brown eyes turned to him. "Well, then the situation is even worse..."

A half smile. "My bet is that they want a VIP alive for ransom, considering there's a Mistrali prince here."

Li Xian turned to him. "You don't mean... oh Monty."

"I know! If you look closely, he even looks like one," the immortal replied. "That's nice, I guess."

She shook her head. "How do you think this is going to work? Best case, they'll shoot us down. If there isn't a heir, you lose a kingdom to anarchy."

"But dead VIPs don't pay," Fumetsu said. "It's more likely they'll take Eliot and shoot up everyone else. And if the exchange happens, they can always just kill him off."

Li Xian raised an eyebrow. "Eliot? I thought it was-"

Etoile shut her mouth with a hand. "Please don't say," he begged.

Fumetsu yawned as he turned towards the back of the plane. "I'll be back. I need some metal."

Two confused eyes looked at him.

"Your bones are literally made up of iron," Li Xian pointed out. "Why not rip off your arm- oh wait, nevermind."

 _First of all, I'd get kicked off the plane. Two, no: there's other people. Three: I'm trying to stay undercover._

He gave shrug as he disappeared behind a red, plastic curtain, shifting past offending legs and flight attendants. The cries, the whimpers: it annoyed him slightly. So he would end it all.

 _Actual people solve or at least act to solve their problems. The easiest and most convenient method would be to slaughter them all and let gravity take hold, but..._

 _Her..._

At the station where attendents microwaved food, he scanned the drawers. Plastic wrapping over even more plastic food dominated the shelves that he opened up, only overwhelmed by a seemingly infinite amount of plastic cutlery. It was all fake.

 _Where's a metal tray when I need one?_

At 27 degrees to his left, he spotted what he needed. It was on a cart that hung nearby generic cooking appliances. There were trays to serve inedible food barely made edible by inside-out cooking.

 _Too bad the microwave isn't powerful enough to melt metal. I'll have to cold forge it then. If I hit it too much, it'll be too brittle for what I want to do with it._

A errant, mirror eye looked out the back exit door's window. _The trays are only good for one wing. Hopefully, the intruder will have more items I can use. Like grenades, if he or she is dumb enough to blow themselves up in an airship with turbulence._

 _It all depends on what they want the prince for. If it's for execution, I'll have to straight up murder them. But if it's for ransom... well, then my plan should work._

Scavenging metallic plates from the carts, he carefully aligned them into a thicker sheet. His hands delicately touched around the edges, bending them flat.

 _Are those missiles radio-guided?_

He look over the destructive armaments that hung on the foreign airships' wings, then at the trays in his hands. _Looks like they should be. Infrared hasn't been made yet at this point in time. So if I'm assuming they've got advanced equipment, they should have radio-guided or fly-by wire._

 _In that case, I should make some chaff._

His hands became a blur, forcing inhuman strength through modified muscle fibers in his forearms. Metal, the poor cast iron kind, tore apart under suddenly toughened skin, its connective fibers defying the punishment Fumetsu forced through them. Solid metal became fibers, like hair torn from a iron b****.

 _This reminds me of the time I killed the Four Maidens..._

He shook his head. _Well, these commandos are much less magical._

A fist took all of the fibers as he carefully imparted some charge into them, ensuring they would separate. His next act was to take some of the s***ty plastic wrap and partially cover the metal with it.

 _Good. Now, for the next part..._

The immortal grinned. _They probably had a spy here. Etoile was clever enough to use a civilian flight that erred towards an early arrival at Vale. There's no way the group just "guessed" right. They knew._

 _So who is it? If I know, I can simply eliminate them and pretend to hold Etoile hostage._

He thumbed his neck momentarily, shifting and stretching connective fibers in his voice box. Nerves were ripped off, only to be grafted a inches to the side.

"A little better."

Fumetsu's voice was now neutral, almost offensively so. There was no identifying characteristics. The bite that was present in his old voice was gone, replaced by almost robotic pronouncement and habit. If anyone were to hear him, they'd think he was a android.

The immortal sighted his face in the sealed door's window. "Not quite there..."

Hands adjusted his facial structure, creaking and cracking the bones underneath his skin. With bone, it wouldn't be possible to alter his appearance. But with the option to convert calcium-based bone to iron, a more malleable and ductile material...

Gone were his devilish, cute, and gentle features that Li Xian found so attractive. Androgynous facial structure and skin took his original look's place. With his medium length hair, he really did look like a tomboy... or an actual boy... or whatever the hell he was.

Muscles pulled on bones, stretching his hips into a more feminine curve. His body's fat content increased, slowly, as he touched his face a bit to add slight details. A finger to the jawbone made it more slim and angular. A push on his Adam's apple made it recede into his neck until it was barely visible.

 _How do men like their women these days... I've heard of "extra thicc"..._

 _Well, I need wider hips anyways._

Hands grasped clothing and fat, kneading them out like dough before reaching deeper to reach bone. He increased blood flow into his metallic frame, adding in more bone and fat cells to his upper legs while he pulled outwards. As nutrients flowed in as well, muscle began growing outwards.

Approvingly, he nodded.

 _Time to carry out the plan._

As he walked onwards, he hooked a finger onto the plastic-wrapped metal fibers. He didn't want to take any chances for his plan, especially this time.

Carefully, he added more charge to the bundle while squeezing it to add pressure. While it was covered in plastic, he knew it could still conduct electricity- it was just terrible at it.

He entered the passenger area, his mirror eyes examining the passengers. He remembered this exact situation.

But he couldn't remember ever feeling so anxious. Unlike the thousands of times he had done this, this was different.

No, wait. Of course it was different. She was here, after all.

This was the first time he had ever seen her, or the group she met up with for that matter. And no matter how much he tried to convince himself, he always had a sense of déjà vu.

No matter how much he tried to pretend and forget, Li Xian was unexpected. There was a sense of the divine in the air, and he knew it.

 _Come on, focus here. Who's the little rat..._

Almost subconsciously, his left hand seized the scalp of a businessman with a scroll in his hand. At first appearance, it looked like he was calling his loved ones and saying his final words.

Fumetsu called bullshit, even though everyone else was doing a similar thing (if not crying his or her eyes out). The man was speaking way too quietly for final words. Why not broadcast how batshit scared you are in this situation?

The immortal's answer was simple. He wasn't calling loved ones.

A spark flared from his hand and the mole's head. The man twitched before slumping into unconsciousness.

Carefully, he slid his hand down to his throat, gently feeling it. _Pretty well developed voice. Probably a singer. Though he doesn't have an Adam's apple. Tenor._

His vocal muscles shifted accordingly before he fingered his phone.

"Sorry. I choked on my water a bit," Fumetsu lied.

A light, airy, feminine voice responded. "Oh, that's fine. Bring the prince for the trade."

"Yes. Just to check, you will give it to me in exchange for the prince?"

"Who do you think we are? We may be pirates to you, but we hold honor in the soon-to-be king's court. Don't disrespect us. We will give you that artifact."

 _Artifact?_

"Prove to me it's the right one and not some piece of junk you picked up from the ground," Fumetsu seriously asked.

"Mr. Olson, as stringy and cautious as always. Very well. Do you mean a ring of regeneration?"

 _Regeneration?_

His mouth suddenly went dry. _Did they find a piece after that battle-_

"It's quite the story. You see, we knew of that area. It was a former pilgrimage site. The kingdoms, excluding Vale, were interested in that area, supposedly due to a rare type of Dust. Having a sample would endow regeneration of Aura and health as long as the Dust sample remained."

"How'd you find it?" Fumetsu said, silently waiting for the answer. His right hand remained still, if only because his left was clenched into a fist as if choking the life out of someone.

A light chuckle entered his ears. "We only got it by luck. After Atlesian forces managed to take advantage of the guardian's surrender, we infiltrated the cave to remove the source of the regenerative Dust. However, the Dust was gone. Luckily, though, one of our scouts found the ring and sent it back for us to analyze. Someone made it, but there are no identifying marks."

The immortal nearly crushed the Scroll.

"Wearing the ring allows regeneration of health and Aura, amazingly, while retaining the integrity of the sample," she continued, unaware of the immortal's simmering rage. "The Dust crystal is a rarity unto itself, as its composition seems to be wholly unique. Analysis indicates that the structure does not seem to naturally occur. In fact, by all existing logic, _it should not even exist_."

"Alright, alright, got it. I'm bringing the prince out."

 _Etoile, you up for an escape?_

 _ **As of now, I'm planning on giving myself up. Now- wait a minute, it's you-**_

 _No need. Besides, Athenia needs your help later on. Just act when I tell you._

 _ **Does it have to be you!?**_

 _Uh, yes. I can deal with the missiles and the actual terrorists while you use your Semblance._

 _ **How are you in my mind!? Who even are you!?**_

 _I'll explain later, if I can get a job at Beacon._

Fumetsu slipped the man's loaded pistol into his own pocket before making his way towards Etoile. Without a sound, he dragged him out from Athenia's panicked grasp and Nysia's drunken hug.

He then leveled the stolen pistol at the prince's head.

"No sudden moves, no funny sounds, or else I shoot," Fumetsu said. "The gun's loaded with Aura suppressants. It also has enough power to leave a hole in flesh. So I suggest no movements."

Athenia rushed towards Fumetsu, only for Nysia to suddenly pull her back.

"He's going to-" the red-haired girl began, her eyes beginning to let loose tears.

Eyes like fine wine looked back into crystal-blue ones. "It's a trap," she simply stated. "Don't fall for the trap."

Easily, Fumetsu lugged Etoile towards one of the exits, where he kicked open the pressurized door.

Outside were three Mistrali airships, armed to the teeth with commandos and other deadly equipment. Grenades, air-to-air missiles, Dust-powered saws, automatic weapons- they had it all.

One airship pulled up to the side before extending a wide gangplank to the entrance. The steel vibrated in the air before Fumetsu and a commando stepped on the bridge.

"It's my lucky day," Fumetsu remarked. "I finally fulfilled my _dream_. Now, it'd clearly be a miracle if you could get out of this one."

 _Do it. When I make my move, use your Semblance._

 _ **No! I'd rather die-**_

 _If you don't, they retain something of mine. Something that they never should've found in the first place. I hid it away a long time ago, after stabilizing my wife's condition with it. In addition, you'll really be captured, and the whole passenger airship will go down._

 _So tell me, do you want Li Xian, Nysia, and Athenia dead?_

 _ **Why- You-**_

 _Then follow my orders for now. We can talk later at Beacon- if you and I even make it there. If this flight goes down, your chances are 100%, but Athenia's... well, almost null._

 _Make a wish, and you die instead of her._

 _So which way do you want it?_

 _ **Fine! We'll do it your way!**_

As Fumetsu stepped out of the airship, he swung Etoile onto his feet before shoving him towards a captor.

 _Make a wish, or you'll really be a star-crossed lover._

As he whipped out a pistol, he stepped backwards onto the edge of the exit to stabilize the bridge.

"Walk forward, and forward only. Hesitate, and I will fire."

 _You'll know what to do when I throw it._

 _ **What is it?**_

 _Ever heard of chaff?_

With that, the immortal fished out and threw the package of chaff to his left- into the wind- with some extra charge.

Wind turned a compressed pack of metal into a cloud of dull, shining gray that surrounded the passenger aircraft.

At the same moment, the missiles fired, as if on instinct. Flame bellowed from metal monsters, tipped with explosive ordinance. They approached with the sound of roaring dragons before curving around the passenger ship.

And just like that, the commando-laden airships blew each other up, leaving only one where there was five.

Assault rifles came up. They fell with the disguised retort of a pistol. Bullets entered their mouths before solidly lodging in the back of their throats.

And if that didn't kill them, the severed artery spewing oxygenated blood into their larynx would. They would asphyxiate on their own oxygen-filled blood.

If that didn't, then severe internal bleeding. The brain would die off, unable to live off a severe lack of nutrients and oxygen.

The pistol went down. Fumetsu wasn't kidding when he said the bullets had Aura suppressant.

"Only a few things to do," the immortal said. His eyes closed, then opened. They were as mirrored as always. "Move aside, will you?"

Etoile obliged, despite the lack of room on the gangplank. He had no idea how the airship was still hovering next to the passenger ship.

"It's a safety feature of these modified airships," Fumetsu notified. "In case the pilot or operator is unconscious or unresponsive, the ship will automatically retain a stable flight pattern. Although in this case, it probably isn't the case. Cocky bitch."

Once on the final aircraft, Fumetsu thrust his hand through the reinforced cockpit door. A squelch met his ears.

"Now prissy miss, I'll be taking this back," Fumetsu said. His once modified voice was no longer so different, but now his own. "After all, _it's mine_."

His hand wrapped around the ring before withdrawing through the door.

"She'll be dead in a few moments, bleeding out from her guts," the immortal said. "She's in shock right now, and in no condition to fly this. Once she kicks the bucket, the airship tanks. So I really only have a few moments."

Etoile backed up towards the passenger ship. Fumetsu approved. Smart kid.

The immortal tossed the ring to Etoile, who shakily caught it. "Give it to Li Xian. It'll help her with some of her questions. As for Athenia- well, she has a question about her past, no?"

The prince scowled. "How would you know?" he said cautiously.

"I read her mind," Fumetsu causally replied. "But that's not the point. Have her meet Pyrrha Nikos. It'll answer a lot of questions."

The aircraft shook, detaching the gangplank from the passenger ship.

"Time for me to go. I know I missed Nysia... But anyhow, if I get any of those 5 jobs at Beacon, we will meet again."

Fumetsu picked up an air-to-air launcher and pointed it at the floor of his failing aircraft.

"Au revoir, child. Good luck with your civil war."

He pulled the trigger.

And as the airship blasted apart into metal shards and now powerless engines, Li Xian looked outside her window.

Her eyes carried a sort of sadness. It was longing. Although he was immortal, it would still be some time before they would meet again.

Do I have to say it? She was wrong.

"Psst! Li Xian!"

She whipped her head back towards the lavatory towards the back of the passanger ship, and stood up. Carefully, she walked towards it.

"Hey... could you get me a spare set of clothes? I kinda lost the other set with the airships, so I'm naked..."

* * *

"Do you remember the story of **The Monstrosity**?" Ozpin asked Glynda Goodwitch. His eyes were closed, resting.

"Yes," she said. "I never believed it, even after witnessing the Four Maidens and discovering the Undying Hero's descendants... To me, it sounded like just a scary story. A sickly fable designed to teach children to tell the truth, and that your lies will hunt you down for eternity. It was either that, or macabre fanfiction."

A long sigh drew itself in the fresh air. Ozpin liked to breathe in the cool, rushing, soothing winds high above Beacon itself.

His golden eyes opened.

"And yet... so much evidence pointed that such a figure existed," the headmaster continued. "Excavation sites in Vacuo, for example, showed ruined castles and buildings that date back to the Golden Age. All of them were razed down to near nothingness, save for one preserved skeleton surrounded by broken or damaged bones. Those skeletons had similar features to the point where archaeologists believe they are all part of one family line. It got to the point where they believe some being was specifically _hunting_ them down."

A riding crop dropped to the floor with an unceremonious _clack!_ Goodwitch quickly levitated it up to her right hand.

"Then the plethora of poetry from the Silver and Bronze Eras alluding to a figure who couldn't be killed, breathing with acidic blood and metallic bones. Exactly as the myth describes **The Monstrosity.** "

"But..." the headmistress began. "Then where is he now?"

Ozpin took a causal sip of his coffee. Valesian. Smooth and chocolaty. Perfect for deep thinking.

"He's on a flight to Beacon," he simply said before taking a sip out of his white porcelain mug.

The wind whistled before the riding crop slammed down on Ozpin's desk. "WHAT!?"

"Hmmmm?" the headmaster said.

Glynda Goodwitch grabbed Ozpin by the scruff, bringing him close to her furious (and beautiful) face. "He is on a flight to Beacon?" she asked coldly and rhetorically.

"I believe I said so, yes."

"Why?"

"He applied for 5 jobs and put his mythological stories, combat skills, and general snark in the resume he sent me. He also put in various dates when he worked in various companies and other organizations, but some of those are... well, the word is odd."

"Explain."

"Some of those companies have gone bankrupt, and others aren't even on record. In one case, I believe he worked for Mantle, not Atlas."

Only then did Goodwitch release her death grasp on Ozpin. "Well, this is a disaster."

"If anything, this is the greatest bit of good luck I have ever come across," Ozpin replied. "Do you know how infamous he is?"

Her eyes narrowed, glaring at him for what she considered a monumental mistake. "Yes."

"He killed the original Maidens, first of all. He killed the Undying Hero. He razed Vacuo into the desert it is today. And, regarding our true enemy, he nearly killed her."

Green eyes opened wide, meeting golden ones. "What?"

He chuckled. "It's in Mistral's repository of ancient texts. The relevant writing is a battle between a large Grimm and a Mistrali army. It goes so badly that the army retreats, with 80% of it ripped apart by the Grimm. However, a survivor recounted that one sole man walked towards the Grimm horde, and- well, made them _commit suicide_. He even mentioned how a woman with bone-white skin and red eyes like Grimm battled with that man, only to retreat on a swift Beowolf that happened to roam into the area while missing her entire lower body. Many consider this story to be false- but it fits the details he himself provided."

Golden eyes made their way towards Glynda Goodwitch. "Are you okay, Ms. Goodwitch?"

She sat up straight. "There is nothing, really."

He tilted his head slightly. "Tsk, tsk, please be more honest. Now then, if I remember correctly... I believe I have some job applications to parse through."

Five manila folders shakily made their way towards Ozpin, who opened up all of them and laid them out on his desk. "At first, I couldn't believe he really did apply for five jobs," the headmaster remarked. "Half of me thought he was kidding."

Goodwitch sighed, releasing her earlier nervousness and suppressing her embarrassment. "The... thing applied for janitor, chef, waiter, IT, and professor," she replied carefully.

Now this time, it was Ozpin's turn to be speechless.

"Repeat the last one again."

"Professor."

Hands made their way towards Goodwitch's collar, which exposed her bountiful peaks. "Again, please."

"Professor."

The headmaster of Beacon sat down on his chair, sighing. "He takes four menial jobs that I can give him, easily, but then asks for one that's nearly impossible for me to grant. Given his history and his idiosyncrasies, becoming a professor probably is his real goal."

Careful not to disturb him, Goodwitch slid his cup of coffee away from him as secretively as possible. Although caffiene could help Ozpin's thinking process, it also gave him killer headaches- partly due to how much he drank.

"We've got to ensure he will be a professor here."

Goodwitch proceeded to drop his mug of coffee onto the polished stone floor. Her green eyes twitched.

"What did you say?"

Ozpin sighed as he picked up the pieces of his cup. He could repair it later. But for now...

"If we can hire him, we might be able to end this war against Salem."

* * *

 _ **The prodigal son has returned. I finally graduated high school! I also don't know what I'm doing!**_

 _ **I am deeply sorry for the two month delay, in which people probably thought I'm half-dead. To which I said- how'd you guess? With sleep deprivation as my modus operandi, I**_ _ **am**_ _**part zombie now. :D**_

 _ **To all of my reader, I come from Ma'anshan bringing some news. First, I managed to bypass the Great Firewall of China! Whoooo! Secondly, my schedule may speed up once I enter college so it'll be every two or three weeks.**_

 _ **As for the intermission before, it was brought to you by Fumetsu. The things he mentioned do matter, so pay attention! If you're having a hard time understanding the world of cultivation, just think of it as magical, mystical Beacon.**_

 _ **Next, a personal apology to all readers.**_

 _ **Here I am, writing before you, with a work that I regard as my art. Sometimes, I try to say "I'm late because I want to perfect this".**_

 _ **This is not the time for that.**_

 _ **It has come to my attention multiple times that I am often past the month mark I give myself to write a chapter, so much so that my friends on this site write so much more in half the time.**_

 _ **And yet I'm not sure I can promise a monthly deadline for myself. I am good at making ideas. I'm equally terrible at staying consistent with it.**_

 _ **Finally, the subject matter.**_

 _ **Yes, I wrote a immortal terrorist fighting other terrorists. A month after the Manchester attack, I know this is terrible timing. Scratch that, it's hell-worthy. Fumetsu is a bloody mess, quite literally. This is a "ultra-violent" work, or as Glynda put it, "macabre fanfiction".**_

 _ **On the other hand, you may see a collab coming up with andy2936. Go read him: he's one of the best rising authors in the RWBY fandom. Check out Xera Stark as well, and enjoy both of his flagship works. He has a knack for writing as well.**_


	8. Liù: Act of Alchemy

_If you're reviewing, please sign in. I honestly want to ask reviewers about details, but it's awfully difficult when people review anonymously._

 _The guest who stated that chapter 3 was annoying- I get it. He's gone batshit crazy before. There's only so much you can take logically before you feel like throwing it all away. As it is, that chapter hints at his real abilities and one of his big motivating factors._

 _Terms:_

 _ **Daoist partner-**_ _Basically, a sex buddy that aids in cultivation... by having sex! This can end up causing the two partners to marry._

 _ **Tiān-** Heaven. Usually refers to the god of Heaven, or Heaven itself._

* * *

 **Liù: Act of Alchemy**

* * *

They called the highest plateau of Mistral the **Thunder Pillars Plain**. An area with such concentration of qì attenuated to the natural phenomenon that lightning doesn't just strike: it comes to life. Those spirits of energy roamed the fields high up in the clouds, the puffs of white swirling around wildlife and jagged, thunderbolt-like rock.

The land itself was close to barren. Dirt shone slightly from the relatively high metallic content it contained, glinting silver and gold at sunrise.

Every 100 years, the clouds would birth lightning that formed the **Palace of Léi Gōng**. It was most literally the " **Palace of the Thunder Lord"**. Lightning became shimmering, smooth pillars of electricity, sparking and burning yet standing strong as if holding up the swirling, black sky. Each time it struck, the forum would grow larger, and so would the heavenly fortune one could acquire from it.

Lightning was considered a powerful source of qì- and a dangerous one at that. Absorb the vital energies within, and your cultivation could jump by leaps and bounds. Fail to do so, and your very body will burn away, falling apart as lightning speared through your skin, flesh, and bones. Your soul would leave the body, watching its own home burn like a hut in a wildfire before being struck by lightning as well.

Lightning comes from heaven; so did fortune, too. The Palace of the Thunder Lord held treasures in its lightning, and in some cases _made_ up it. Only by absorbing lightning of a higher intensity and frequency could one seize them.

From such a harsh land, there was one great clan in power: Léi. They took on the name of the world they prospered in.

Léi was for thunder. The weather that threatened them on a daily basis was their way of life. They took energy from it, and it powered their works. No cultivator dared to invade the home of lightning.

No mortal human ever made it up onto it without dying from the sudden surge of deadly energy lancing through their heart or the heat that roasted their flesh.

To many, it was a danger zone. To cultivators, it was quite literally a holy land.

And at one certain spot in that land, deep underground, lay her.

Léi Báiyīng cursed for the hundredth time at her own weakness. She clenched her fist tightly, her delicate knuckles turning white.

She was a heavenly beauty, almost ethereal like the lightning that struck her home. Her pale skin was like clouds, pure and fragile and heaven-sent. Her hair was blonde, even golden, like lightning, and seemed to flow like fierce waters in a hurricane. And her eyes- well, they were a wonderful harmony of blue and gray, as if thunderclouds and thunder became one.

She wore a gray robe embroidered with golden bolts and the symbol of her clan: a black cloud, jagged with lightning somehow more brilliant than that lustrous metal. It covered her fully and modestly, unlike other people more daring and improper that Léi Báiyīng could mutter under her breath.

At 5'7", her form was sleek and streamlined, rather than curvaceous like many other beauties. Rather than an overwhelming bust, her twin peaks were smaller: around a C cup. (Wait, why am I now giving bust sizes?)

Her frame was more of a dancers: lithe and smooth. It was as if she could sail the winds and seas, and run faster than the storms of the her land. She was lightning.

And as she looked up at the intricately decorated ceiling of iron, lightning Dust, and garnets that towered over her like a cathedral's columns, she knew that she was hurt.

She had been training for the **Palace of Léi Gōng** by moving towards the thundering clouds, thus increasing the intensity of qì and profoundness within each strike. She went with a bodyguard, just to satisfy her father. And then she went into the clouds, despite the pleas of her guard.

The instant she stepped into the black clouds, she was hit by a surge of lightning brighter and more powerful than she had ever felt before. She felt her body spasm out of control, before locking up. Her muscles screamed, as did she, tensing up until they felt they would snap in half.

Then she regained control of herself as she fell from the sky.

The guard had followed her into the cloud. He wasn't so lucky. He died.

Luck was on her side that time, but now Léi Báiyīng was reconsidering her relationship with it. She had hit the ground hard, and her bones felt like they'd splinter apart. Her body felt like it had been roasted, and she smelt something burnt. With a shiver, she knew how she smelled like when fried.

Her meridians were damaged as well, based on the abnormal way her qì flowed like rapids one moment and froze another.

Her father came out that day and immediately put her in a special chamber. It would aid her recovery by granting her tamed qì from the lightning Dust, allowing her to repair her body and vessels. In addition, it would help her build up her cultivation base.

It worked, but by the time she healed up she would miss the appearance of the **Palace of Léi Gōng.** So she soldiered on and kept her emotions in check.

Rain pattered on the iron, chilling the room slightly and keeping her awake. For once, she wanted the storm clouds, her life, to stop.

But there was no way to clear them, just like there was no way for her to heal in time for the **Palace of Léi Gōng.**

As of now, she was at **Foundation Establishment** , a step where qì formed into pillars that hold up Heaven. They came in four varieties, as far as she knew: Perfect, Flawless, Flawed, and Broken. Perfect was the strongest- there was nothing to be said about it. Each of the rest were worst than that.

Three years ago, Léi Báiyīng was lucky to absorb enough lightning to allow her to stabilize her sea of qì into a Perfect Pillar. But after this incident, there were at least three cracks on her foundation, bringing it down to Flawless- a step weaker.

As such, she was accordingly weakened. Now, she only cared about being healed. But she knew her luck had finally run out.

She cried, sobbing silently into her sheets. It was as if she was begging for Heaven's intervention.

She wanted a miracle.

Something above her cracked, sounding like thunder. She looked up, and her eyes widened in horror.

Wrong miracle, she thought.

The ceiling above her was bending under some unknown pressure. Léi Báiyīng couldn't tell what it was.

A moment later, as the structure failed, someone plummeted towards her. It looked like another cultivator...

"DAMMMMMMIIIIITTTTT-"

He landed smack-dab on her, but surprisingly it didn't hurt. The stranger had managed to land on his knees and hands, distributing the impact force over a larger area so nothing would shatter.

The first thing Léi Báiyīng noticed were the horns. They were small now, but they were some of the most amazing things she had ever saw. He must've been a Faunus.

If he was, he was a damn hot one- wait, what!?

She finally realized that he was shirtless, revealing his muscled frame that radiated strength and endurance. (Luckily, he had some pants on). And the face she was now staring into, with his tan, his black hair, and intense jade-green eyes...

The stranger finally unfroze in horror. "Heaven's- I'm so sorry about this! Oh- oh- oh- I'm in trouble, aren't I-"

Léi Báiyīng proceeded to sucker-punch him with a fist filled with lightning, propelling him into the wall like how lightning strikes earth.

"YOU LASCIVIOUS PERVERT!"

"Owww!"

He crashed into the wall before falling into the ground, leaving behind an impression of his frame in the stone behind him.

Léi Báiyīng wasn't done yet. She marched up towards him as she manifested a spear of sparking qì, arcing like lightning yet as smooth as clouds.

"I'd be happy to slay a pig like you-"

"I was literally exploring for more herbs! There was a huge one growing on your ceiling, and nobody was around, so I thought it was safe!"

"SHUT UP!"

As she wound back her strike, the stranger managed to stand up and begin running towards her.

Her hand accelerated- then stopped as blistering pain ricocheted throughout her body.

Léi Báiyīng coughed up blood as she fell onto the stone floor, her body hurting and twitching.

The stranger's run became a slide as he lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. "Wait... Okay, there's no time to waste then. I'll put on the bed-"

"Don't you even think about it," she hissed, her hand grasping his shoulder tightly until her knuckles became white. "I will stick a pike through your body if you do."

He coughed awkwardly. "And if you do, you'll be even weaker. Let me guess, you got hit by a particularly strong lightning bolt?"

Her blue eyes widened, but she only glared at him. "Not telling."

"It's fairly obvious," he said. "Your body smells burnt, and your qì flow builds up before discharging violently, damaging your already wrecked meridians. It's pretty clear you need some help."

"Not taking it," Léi Báiyīng replied, looking away from her.

The stranger sighed. "Well, I don't care. Complain all you want, but at least you'll be ready for the **Palace of Léi Gōng**."

This time, she spat out blood onto him. He ignored it as he laid her down on her bed.

"I swear I'll help you, and do no dishonorable things to you on purpose," he began as jade-green qì surrounded both of them. "If I break my promise, then I die and you will take my cultivation base. Are you okay with that?"

Shocked, she stared at him with open eyes. "Why would someone like you want to help me?" she asked cautiously.

He shrugged as his qì collected her blood before pouring it away from both of them. "I'm pursuing my Dao," he said. "I'm Shénnóng. Pleased to meet you."

"I refuse to tell you my name," Léi Báiyīng growled. "I am of the Léi Clan. Anything funny, and they will kill you."

"Got it," he said. "Let's get started. I need you to remove the top half of your clothes-"

A hand reached out and viciously grasped him by the throat- not that she could reach around his neck, though. "I will murder you," she hissed.

He disengaged her fingers one by one, gently prying them off. "If you don't, the healing process will be slower. The fastest method is through your front, but I refuse to do that method. Besides, do you agree to my vow to you?"

"Your what?"

"I swear I'll help you, and do no dishonorable things to you on purpose. If I break my promise, then I die and you will take my cultivation base."

Léi Báiyīng judged her options. On one hand, this person would heal her. On another, since he made the promise he could probably break it. And she wouldn't put it besides him to sully her purity...

But she had to chose hope.

"Fine. I accept these conditions."

Her blindingly white qì merged with his jade-green qì, becoming one.

He gave her a smile that made her heart skip. It was him.

No. Must've been the harmful lightning qì coursing through her body. Definitely must be.

Shénnóng turned away from her and took ten healthy steps away from her. "I'm not watching."

"You better not be," Léi Báiyīng threatened.

Her delicate hands grasped her robe, carefully removing it from her now bare body. With one hand, she covered her peaks; with another, she laid the robe across her shoulders.

"Done."

Shénnóng took a deep breath. She knew what he was thinking- that breath might be the last one he'd take.

He took ten steps backwards, exactly, until his back was in front of hers.

"Take my hand. I'll fix up your meridians before I concoct some medicine," he ordered.

She did as she was told, expecting roughness and a rapidly tightening grasp. Wrong. Instead, his hand was surprisingly smooth and warm and gentle.

Jade-green qì flowed from him to her, entering her body on its own volition and repairing her body. It was the most comfortable sensation she had ever felt, like sleeping on clouds, or taking a bath in a hot spring, or... being embraced by a lover.

Léi Báiyīng instantly sat up straight as that feeling continued. Suddenly, she really wished that Shénnóng would wear a robe, because she wanted more of that feeling...

Now it was the horned cultivator's turn to sit up straight as he felt a new feeling... one that brought him both horror and comfort. He honestly felt ashamed and embarrassed. Even the most curvaceous of female patients didn't do this to him...

"What are you doing!?" he half-screeched as he turned his head a bit left.

"Don't look," she replied, her face flushed red. "Just... let me."

She had grasped his shoulder with her hands before pressing her body against his back. That comfortable feeling burst out to her twenty-fold, almost to the point of pleasure. She wanted to moan.

Fortunately for both of them, she didn't.

Shénnóng let out a shaky breath before he pulled out a bracelet of holding. He removed a few herbs and a tiny furnace of sorts. It glowed with blue flames. In the meanwhile, he muttered "Taking advantage of me, you ungrateful, little..."

Léi Báiyīng looked over his shoulder in interest, pushing her mounds into Shénnóng's back. Luckily, there was her robe between them...

"What do you do, anyways?" she asked quizzically. That sudden surge of qì had faded into a stronger stream, allowing her to logically think. It really was fixing her meridians- heck, it was even expanding them, improving her latent talent and overall ability.

He threw his hands into the air. "Oh, now you decide to be nice to me?"

She pouted. "Please?" Just in case, she made sure to dig her assets into his back a little more.

The horned cultivator gritted his teeth. "Ffffuuu... fine. I'm an alchemist."

"An alchemist? I asked what you do, not your job."

"I process herbs and natural phenomena into miracles," Shénnóng said. "Just... let me concentrate here. I'm the only one who can do this, because nobody else understands how to process these herbs."

Léi Báiyīng promptly shut her mouth as he selected a few of them.

"Blood Stream Grass, 100 years old. When younger than 500, it aids in blood flow; when old, it expands blood vessels. Stone Flower Stalks, 300 years old. Increases durability of the flesh and endows strength to one's bones depending on age. Golden Pole Thorns, 250 years old. Increases control of the lightning element and grants connect to the metal element depending on age."

He then turned towards the furnace and touched it, allowing flames to burst to life.

"I suppose the Sky Birthed Flames are best for this, after all. I wanted to get by with regular qì fire, but this calls for something special," Shénnóng muttered. "Let's begin."

Azure fire lifted the three selected herbs into the air, simultaneously refining and extracting the essences from each of the herbs. For the Blood Stream Grass, it was a pool of crimson that was especially fragrant, reminiscent of iron. For the Stone Flower Stalks, it was the pebbles at the dead center of the stems. And for the Gold Pole Thorns- well, I can't explain better than golden poles.

"Almost done..." he said. "Just gotta coagulate them together..."

The azure flames brought them all together, forming them into one harmonious pill- one that seemed to miraculous indeed.

And then a stream of blindingly white qì flowed through Shénnóng's arm and into the concoction. It felt like pure power and grace all at once, something that he had to admit felt nice.

"This is the Thunder Meridian Pill," he said quietly as it dropped into his palm. It was the size of a bean, resembling a blood-red stone that became white like a true lightning strike. "It'll increase your resistance to harmful lightning-based qì and your affinity to it, all while repairing your body. Go ahead. It's yours."

Léi Báiyīng softly took the pill from his hand and swallowed it, allowing her body to devour it. She gasped as the miracle she begged for began.

Her meridians finally healed up, before unceasingly absorbing the lightning within her body and converting it into qì that went into her cultivation base. At the same time, she felt her understanding of the element deepen profoundly, as if lightning ceased to be foreign to her and became a limb of her's.

And it was over in an instant.

Léi Báiyīng exhaled on Shénnóng, who immediately became worried. She smiled gently, unbeknownst to him as he panicked inwardly. The perverted, shirtless alchemist ended up coming through after all.

"Hey... that felt incredible, Shénnóng," she whispered to him.

This time, he turned his head to the side and smiled. "Well, I told you I'd heal you."

His face proceeded to burst into red, as did her, as the reality of their situation caught up to them.

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO LOOK BEHIND YOU!" Léi Báiyīng burst as her fist made its way towards his head.

Shénnóng flipped her over his head and grasped her- oh god, not the twin peaks you idiot-

"LASCIVIOUS PIG!"

He immediately let go as he went deathly pale, as if he had seen Death herself. Slowly, he backed away as she began her charge towards him.

The alchemist slipped on the wet, stone ground. The lightning cultivator tripped on her robes. Both went down, one on another.

In a daze, Shénnóng wrapped his arms around the bare back of Léi Báiyīng. She, in turn, wrapped her arms around his neck and drew her bare front towards his own.

Wait a minute- what did I just write? For f***'s sake, this is sounding more and more like a lemon. If only they stripped-

A storm cloud formed above both of them, aggressively striking nearby both of them. Rain soaked both of their clothes, only accenting Léi Báiyīng's smooth and streamlined form (which, Shénnóng acknowledged, was infinitely more attractive than curvaceous and thick).

"You little monster," she said, her fury clearly alight in her eyes.

The alchemist whimpered as cutely as possible, trying to portray himself as innocently as humanly able. It didn't convince her.

"Um- um- um- is there any way to make this up to you?" he begged.

Her hand made its way to his face before viciously slapping him, causing him to spray blood out of his mouth. Her other one cradled his head, her nails threatening to dig into his handsome face.

"You're too valuable to beat up like I intended," she said. "So I'll have you be my clan's- and the world's only- alchemist."

* * *

He was tied up like the submissive masochist in a BSDM porno in thick iron chains, kneeling next to Léi Báiyīng, who sat cross-legged. Around him were what he assumed were other clan members, guards, and her relatives.

They sat in a gigantic cavern, alit in lightning Dust lodes that dominated the vast ceiling and gems inlaid within stone and iron columns. Before him was a closed alcove, presumably for closed-door cultivation. Behind his feet was stone, blanketed by wool carpets.

"Rise for the patriarch!"

Those simple stone doors opened, unleashing power so overwhelming it felt like one was tossing fro and fro in a chaotic ocean. A hurricane of presence fell upon them all.

And then he, who Shénnóng presumed was Léi Báiyīng's grandfather, stepped out.

He was larger than Shénnóng thought he'd be, with a bearing like that of a giant. His long, platinum hair flowed over his shoulders while a rough, swarthy bearded face with storm-gray eyes looked back at him. Like Shénnóng, he wore no shirt, opting to tie his robe around his waist to reveal his obscene amount of muscle on his upper body. Especially with his arm muscles...

The alchemist stumbled as he tried to get up. Léi Báiyīng caught him, shoving him into a standing position.

The patriarch waved his hand. "You may sit," he said, his voice rather like thunder.

This time, Shénnóng kneeled down without any help. He bowed his head towards the patriarch in absolute respect- and fear, but he didn't let that show.

"Grandfather."

Oh! Looks like he was right. Léi Báiyīng was the patriarch's granddaughter after all, and he was about to be massively screwed.

"Speak, my granddaughter."

She bowed her head as she stood up. "Grandfather, this man invaded my healing chambers."

The alchemist spat out blood at the blatant distortion of facts. "I fell through the ceiling by accident!" he defended. "There was a precious herb on the top of it, and I pulled it out! It ended up damaging the structure more than I thought, so it broke!"

Her eyes began twitching as her grandfather gave an amused grin, as if he knew what his daughter was pulling.

"And then he tried to ravish me, tearing open my robes!"

"I was trying to heal you! You're the one that latched onto my back like you were my lover! And I told you to remove your robes so that I could repair your meridians!"

"Then he gave me his se-"

"Don't even go there. I gave your medicine, which fixed you up. Now, can I go now?"

The tension between the two was almost visible, as if the sky roared and the earth shook in their battle of wills. Jade-green met shocking blue in a battle of dominance that was swiftly ended by the patriarch.

He simply appeared between the two and hit their foreheads against each other.

"Are you done yet- oh! You really are healed up. This is a miracle!" the patriarch said.

"Yeah, my doing," Shénnóng replied. "Concocted some medicine."

All eyes were suddenly on him. Most of them were skeptical. One was reverent, while the other was grudgingly thankful.

"You... a Core Establishment cultivator... healed my granddaughter?" the patriarch began. "It would take at least a Dao Seeking expert to fully heal her, but you did it... how?"

The horned cultivator shrugged his shoulders. "I'm an alchemist. I refine herbs and materials into miracles."

Léi Báiyīng turned her head away from him, as if expressing disapproval for him. "He's the only one."

"Oooooh. So that's why you bound me up like you want me as your Daoist partner."

A fist made its way towards his face. He narrowly bent under it before stopping short of another fist.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I get it right?" he said, teasingly.

A hand grasped his shoulder. Shénnóng noted its strength and deduced that it was probably her father's. That, and how it seemed to try and rip off his right arm.

"You shameless brat..."

Frozen, he stiffly turned to an enraged man with black hair like storm clouds and blazingly white eyes as young as he was, with qì that surged boundlessly higher than his. Spirit Severing.

"Well... ha, ha, I was just joking?" the alchemist unconvincingly said.

The patriarch glared at the man. "Release him," he quietly said.

That crushing pressure on Shénnóng's shoulder let up as the alchemist let out a gasp of relief.

"All of you... leave us, except the newcomer and my granddaughter."

Grudgingly, they did so as the man stepped down to meet the two of them. Soon, the grand hall was clear of clan members.

"Grandpa," Léi Báiyīng cheerfully said as she gave him a hug.

The old man smiled as he patted her head. "Little Spark. Let me ask... who is this stranger? He is Core Formation, and yet did not try to attack you when he had a clear chance."

The alchemist stood a healthy distance between the two, hoping desperately that both of them would forget about him. Obviously, it didn't work out- Léi Báiyīng dragged him back into place.

"Patriarch, I am Shénnóng. I am a wandering cultivator and alchemist, as I explained before, pursuing my Dao," the horned herbalist carefully said. "As you correctly deduced, I am at the Core Formation level, but my method of cultivation does not use such stages."

The former patient glared at him. "So all that time... you were really just playing with me. You could've overpowered me easily! So why didn't you?"

At that point, she had marched up to him and violently grasped him by the chains that bound him. Her face was right up to his, glaring at him for an answer.

He turned his face away. She turned it back towards her.

"I thought you were some sort of important person, and also... I kinda fell on you, and it'd be weird to take advantage of an injured person. Not to mention, I'm not that kind of person," Shénnóng replied.

Léi Báiyīng narrowed her eyes. "Prove it."

"Keep me bound up like this wherever you want, however you want, for a week," he automatically said. "Take full advantage of me." He then instantly regretted it as she gave him a devious smile.

"Great," she said, before turning away from him. "I'll be sure to do so. You better be praying."

The patriarch laughed as soon as his granddaughter left the room. "Good job! Now you're in a real mess! When she's like that, she has a plan to utterly destroy you! I know because her father is exactly like that; just like that, he grew up and became one of the brightest of our clan!"

"Well, that's great to know. In general, he looks like he's out for my blood," the horned alchemist complained, scowling. "I think your granddaughter wants me dead as well. After I treated her, she brutalized me pretty badly. I didn't even know someone at **Foundation Establishment** could still hurt me."

A smile. "You're better than a lot of others. She's lofty in general to others, like an untouchable cloud in the sky. She doesn't bother interacting much with others. That she would so openly act when you're involved... well, considering your stranger status, that's a complete surprise. Even her suitors are rebuffed on a daily basis."

"Actually, considering what you told me and from what I know, I'm not surprised," Shénnóng deadpanned. "She'd fry off your eyebrows if you looked at her wrong."

The patriarch laughed. "Actually, that happened once."

The alchemist spat out blood behind him. "Well... thank you for telling me, patriarch."

"Don't call me that," he laughed. "Call me grandfather-in-law."

"... Okay, taking it too far there!" the alchemist shouted before he turned heel and sprinted away. He didn't go too far before a **Nascent Soul** cultivator grasped him and dragged him away.

Only a few moments later, Shénnóng found himself tied to a bed- Léi Báiyīng's bed, he soon guessed. It was intricate, decorated with dragons of lightning Dust curving and weaving around iron pillars and wooden skies. At least he'd be comfortable before whatever she had in plan took effect: it had by far the most squishy pillow and mattress he had ever felt.

Still, the way his arms were forced above his shoulders and behind him, leaving his front undefended... the alchemist was convinced that she was a genuine sadist.

"So, you're finally here. Thank heaven... I was getting a little... restless."

Shénnóng would've run if he could at that falsely sweet voice. Instinctively, he pulled his arms forwards, only to be stopped by the heavy chains.

He regretted saying that Léi Báiyīng could take advantage of him.

The patriarch's granddaughter crawled onto her bed, smiling as an aura of evil surrounded her. She was dressed in a rather revealing robe, thin and recently wetted, revealing her slim, alluring body. Her tresses were damp, falling to her back and sides. And her cheeks were red, as if she was drunk.

Those shockingly blue eyes instantly captured jade-green eyes.

"What- what- what are you doing!?" the alchemist said, fearful.

A smirk as she finally reached his body and touched his cheek. "You, Shénnóng, see me, a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But I need to be Core Formation to increase my chances in the **Palace of Léi Gōng**. And, you see, that's where you come in."

She drew circles on his bare chest, giggling softly. "You obviously must have strong energies, which makes you ideal for this method. Don't you remember on how you teased me before about why I tied you up like that? You were right, Shénnóng. Because I need you to be my Daoist partner."

The alchemist couldn't say a word. He was too much in shock.

"Don't worry too much. Enjoy yourself," Léi Báiyīng said as she teasingly slipped her robe off her shoulders. "I know I will."

Léi Báiyīng revealed her twin peaks and her whole upper body to him. They pressed against him as, just as swiftly, she completely removed her entire robe. There she was, completely naked and soaked, ready to claim him.

So Shénnóng finally snapped.

He forcibly ripped the chains from the bedframe before wrapping his arms around her. At the same time, he caught her discarded robe and covered her bottom half.

She smiled. "Let's become one."

And with all the tenderness he had, he- didn't kiss her and straight up ravish her. Instead, he placed his forehead against her's, smiling sadly.

"Why?" he asked, cradling her body with his own. He tried to give her as much warmth as he could.

Those eyes with that harmonious mix of blue and gray began to cry. "Why won't you become my Daoist partner? Why!? Do you... hate me?"

"No no no!" Shénnóng said quickly. "It's just that... I respect you way too much to let this happen. It's too desperate, and... I think you deserve better. And, plus... I can't say."

"Then why!? Why!? Why..."

Her arms weakly wrapped around his neck. "Why."

Like lightning, she struck, ripping apart his pants and tearing them off his body. She grinded her body against his. And then her face reddened even more, while her eyes dilated until her pupils overtook her irises.

"You... I didn't know... what...

Shénnóng really wanted to die from embarrassment now.

"Why. Are. You. So. Massive. And. Hard. ?" Léi Báiyīng said, her mind short-circuiting. Steam erupted from her head and ears.

Shénnóng closed his eyes, hoping that this was nothing more than a wet dream. "Isn't it a natural biological reaction when somebody beautiful is naked up against you and literally begging for sex!?"

"You really are a monster..." she muttered as she ashamedly nuzzled her head into his shoulder. "A monster who thinks first with his lower half... corrupting innocent little virgins and claiming them..."

And now she was beginning to soak his manhood. Her natural scent seemed to overwhelm him, making it so he could think only of her and her body. It was getting awfully hard not to take her... but he had to do something. She was beginning to nibble his collarbone, and he was only getting more painfully erect, his- OH GOD, CENSOR, CENSOR, CENSOR!

"Hey... I never got your name," Shénnóng realized. "Can I at least know who's screwing me?"

"... Léi... Báiyīng," she replied quietly as she bit harder.

He guided her away from his neck and touched foreheads with her. "Léi Báiyīng... I care enough about you to say this: the Dao can only be found by those who do things their way. The Dao must be searched for, must be refined, must be created. And by taking me as Daoist partner... I feel that you'll only make things worse. Your Dao doesn't involve sex and pleasure, at least yet- don't make make it that now."

Her eyes met his. "Then... what do I do?"

Shénnóng couldn't help it anymore. He lightly gave her a kiss on the forehead, as if reassuring her it would be fine. "Just cultivate as normal. Frankly, I think you'll be fast enough to break through. You're at the peak of **Foundation Establishment** , and I think you only need that little nudge."

"Shénnóng, that's why I wanted you as a Daoist partner..." she said, her eyes fluttering closed. "You... well... it wouldn't be too bad I guess..."

He closed his eyes. "Then let me do my alchemy for you and your clan," he replied. "You never brought up that you wanted me as your clan's alchemist."

She shook her head. "My only chance is having you as my Daoist partner," she sadly said. "It's the only way I can breakthrough my base, and... you know what, forget it."

"Forget what? Maybe I could lend you some of my qì, okay?" Shénnóng said. "That'd increase your cultivation base and your latent talent, right? It'd increase the size of your meridians."

Stubbornly, she looked at him in the eye sadly. "I don't want to rely on anyone else. That's... how my father did it, and look at him. He's **Spirit Severing** now."

"Even your father had the help of the clan," he replied. "You will too- I mean, your grandfather obviously cares about you. And... well, you can have my help as well."

"Okay, fine. Let's say I do accept help. My grandfather going into closed-door mediation soon, which leaves you. And- well, the only way you could help me is being my Daoist partner. Nothing else is fast enough."

The alchemist sighed before nudging her. "Look at me. Remember that herb that I picked? I think that could solve your problem. I could probably brew something up. In fact, I might be able to make enough to get you to **Nascent Soul** , just below **Spirit Severing** and two levels above **Foundation Establishment**."

Her eyes disbelievingly stared at him. "There's no way a plant can improve my cultivation base," she scoffed.

"Three herbs and my qì fixed you up just fine," Shénnóng rebutted. "I think I can help you with this. And besides..."

Léi Báiyīng gasped as he slid bedsheets over both of them.

"... I don't want you to have no choice, like a bride in a forced marriage. You deserve better. Even if you've punched and slapped me, and brought me into... well, this position... you're a good person at heart. If you need help, I'll do my best to help you."

Her arms squeezed tightly around his neck as his own arms became tighter around her body. Their bodies snuggled into each other's, as if their frames and contours became familiar. It was like they had spent an eternity together before, and they would do so forever.

They were so vulnerable towards each other.

"Can... you... be... mine..." she whispered to him.

Shénnóng sharply breathed in. "Do... do you mean-"

"No no no! I meant... will you be my alchemist?" Léi Báiyīng quickly replied. "I mean, if you're my alchemist you'll also be mine, but I didn't mean it like that, okay, don't even think that!"

He gave her a smile that involuntarily made her face go even more red. "Of course. But in exchange... will you be my Daoist partner?"

As she ashamedly blushed into his collarbone, he snickered as he managed to finger the end of her blonde hair. "Kidding, kidding... I've already said I'd rather not..."

"... but... didn't I say I'd be fine if you were?" she quietly replied.

Shénnóng and Léi Báiyīng laid in bed together, awkwardly remaining in each other's embrace. They both knew each other's assets, but they were missing that drive, thankfully. It would've been a passionate night, otherwise...

"So, um..." the magical herbalist began. "Should I leave? I mean... I'm probably making you uncomfortable, having you up against me naked and feeling my, you know, manhood..."

"We're already this far, Shénnóng," she replied quietly. "We might as well go all the way... me and you, sleeping together in bed. I mean, if somebody sees us... well, it'll be embarrassing, but I can probably pretend it's something else. You, on the other hand..."

"In bed... huh. In that case... I guess we're already one."

"Don't push your luck, you horny alchemist."

* * *

"I still can't believe you were naked."

Li Xian sat next to Fumetsu, her face unreadable as she looked far, far away from him. Ever since she had to run his second set of clothes to the aircraft's bathroom, she couldn't stop daydreaming about his damn body.

"Well, it happens a lot when you're as deviant as me," he said. "For example, when I was caught by Atlas, I was naked."

"Not helping," the aspiring Beacon student said. "Don't want to hear about it or how large you are, or if you even have one. I'm done with you."

The immortal smiled and closed his eyes. "Okay, okay, got it."

His hands almost instinctively touched hers. They intertwined slowly, finger by finger.

"Well, on the other hand, if I do get the jobs at Beacon, we could have an illicit teacher-student relationship," Fumetsu absentmindedly said.

Li Xian swiftly turned towards him, staring at him hard. "What," she simply said. "Repeat that again."

"The jobs at Beacon?"

"No. The part after that."

"Oh, the illicit teacher-student relationship thing? That was a joke. I highly doubt with my history that I'd get the job," the immortal said causally. "I'm a murderer of myths. I've wiped out kingdoms. I make Grimm run away, only for them to overrun human settlements. So, as you can see, I'm hardly Huntsman material. By far, I am not a hero."

Li Xian looked at him with a concerned look. "Don't you have any self respect?"

"Yep," he replied. "I have enough self respect to not lie to myself."

The natural sighed as she leaned back into her seat. "Well... to be fair, you did save the passenger ship. Without you, I'd be plummeting to my death."

Fumetsu laughed, as if he'd heard a joke. "You kidding me? That was by far one of the sketchiest saves I've done. I literally used a modified clone to lure the airships in, then used Etoi- I mean, Eliot's Semblance to divert all the missiles into other airships. Then I killed the last pilot and blew my clone up via rocket jump."

"... Rocket jump?" Li Xian said, as if she had no idea what he was thinking.

"Yeeeep. Rocket jump. It's pretty self explanatory."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "You do really stupid things, you know. Running from Atlesian military, blowing up Mistrali airships... well, I'm amazed you weren't caught."

"I can afford to do stupid things," he replied. "I can also afford to go to jail, but I can't afford a freaking room."

Li Xian nodded a bit. "Nobody can afford a room in Atlas," she agreed. "You were lucky, though, as usual."

"To be fair, they did leave the ceiling open," he replied. "And they brought in torture machines, but you know how effective they are."

"Got it, got it."

They sat there in quiet comfort, enjoying each other's presence as the airship continued towards Beacon. Light became night, when the moon peered down towards the two of them, sleeping. And then... they both woke when the sun embraced the sky in pinks and yellows.

"Morning," the immortal yawned. "Wait.. I actually slept. When was the last time I closed my eyes like this?"

"Don't even try to figure it out. Just enjoy it," the natural said. "It's the best way to enjoy sleep. Just sleep, whether in a bed or on a plane, in class or with... you..."

Fumetsu smiled a bit. "Well, I did enjoy it. Though I have to say, there's a lot of untapped potential here... For one, the atmosphere could be more romantic. Sprinkle a few roses, add classical music, toss everyone else off the plan so we're alone-"

"I think you're just fantasizing way too much here," Li Xian interrupted as she shut his mouth with her left hand. With her right, she pinched the immortal's cheek. "Don't give everyone the wrong idea here."

"But deceiving people is my job! I'm a sort of devil or demon myth! For all you know, I might be just acting to steal your heart! To simply have a wild night and then leave you all alone," he complained.

"If you really wanted that, you should've just asked. I would've done it from day one," she said.

His face instantly reddened. "Liar. You would stab me through before I did that, not to mention I would never do that to someone else even as a joke, and-"

She smirked as she pushed him away from her. "And that proves whatever you just said was false. Whatever you said sounded sociopathic, something I'm sure you are not. It's not that you don't have morals. You're simply good at ignoring your morality."

"Isn't that the definition of a criminal?" Fumetsu said as he began to stretch his arms.

Li Xian nodded as she did the same. "Well, you technically are one," she replied before she, too, yawned.

A thought soon came to her. "Hey... what are we? What's our relationship? Are we... you know, lovey-dovey... or is it just lust?"

Mirror eyes gazed at the ceiling. "There are some things even an immortal doesn't know," he replied. "I mean, I like you, but... this is a new feeling. How am I supposed to feel, when I don't feel sometimes?"

"That sounds familiar," she muttered.

"Maybe we should take it slow," Fumetsu suggested. "Figure out who we are, where we stand, why we like who we like, et cetera."

"It's hard to hear 'take it slow' from someone who stole my first kiss," Li Xian replied, glaring at him. "So really, what will it be? How do you feel about me?"

"I feel happy... but knowing me, I'm probably lying to myself again."

Her earth-brown eyes stared into his mirror eyes. "Why?" she asked again.

He only gave her a sad sigh as he looked away from her, anywhere not towards her. His eyes were downcast, as if remembering a tragic memory. It almost felt as if they lived between two different lifetimes, divided by thousands of years, in a world she would find utterly foreign.

Her eyes were opened to harsh reality. Here she was, a **Foundation Establishment** cultivator and prospective Beacon trainee, interested in a mysterious immortal who lived for however long- heck, maybe even till the start of time. She was optimistic of the world, and he was not. She was pure, and he was not.

She was whole, and he was not- no, that's a lie. She wasn't whole without him.

But sometimes she felt he wasn't whole, ever, as if it was truly only half of him there. And that half was the worst of him. That him was the one that would slaughter thousands in a heartbeat, then mold them into horrible superstructures, like giant totems that twitched on massive, mutated spinal cords. It would swarm kingdoms with darkness, then force survivors to somehow become Grimm. It would find Heaven and drown it, no, _abort it_ , in Hell. It would destroy Remnant without remorse, and then repeat.

It would keep her alive, too, like the Fumetsu in front of her now.

And now that she thought about it... she now knew another one of the emotions in his eyes. Before she met him, she would see it in the mirror every morning.

Bitterness.

In the past, she was bitter over her inability to go to Beacon. That she was stuck in a dead-beat job that made too little money for her to get an education with.

But she had no idea what he was bitter about. Was he bitter over his endless life, which seemed to keep him alive as a living punching bag? Was it the atrocities he did long ago, haunting him and his current conscience?

Was there something she was missing, that she didn't know about him?

All of that came her quickly. It gave her one question: how much did he know about her, then?

 _ **Nothing.**_

 _Don't surprise me like that!_

 _ **Oh! I'm... sorry.**_

 _You're really not yourself, huh?_

 _ **Being happy and cheery and kinda positive isn't myself. It isn't... well, it just isn't. I don't feel happy.**_

 _But you just said-_

 _ **Okay, discounting that you make me kinda happy, I'm feeling down. Better?**_

 _No. Just... tell me what is it. Please. I don't even know much about you... and, beside that myth-killing thing that went nowhere, you're not giving me any hints here._

Fumetsu closed his eyes, sighing. His hand found its way into her's and gripped it tightly, as if it was stuck in a nightmare.

 _ **Do you think you've got the stomach for it?**_

 _At this point, I don't think much will surprise me._

 _ **Well... my tale is of war of and slaughter... and I don't want to tell it.**_

 _Hey! Come on! Give me something!_

 _ **Then... I guess a story. I'll give the abridged version.**_

Earth-brown eyes made their way to sad mirror eyes as Li Xian wrapped her arms out Fumetsu's neck, comforting him. They didn't help, like she wanted them to.

"Once upon a time, there was Heaven. He was **Tiān.** He had created the worlds and the starry skies and life and everything. He was content. But then over time, it went awry."

"Awry... how?" she whispered to him.

He closed his eyes. "Heaven warred with itself. It divided into factions that continually warred, so much so that the starry skies continually split and merged, affecting the mortal realms below it. It destroyed worlds, extinguished suns, and wiped out galaxies."

"And yet **Tiān** could not do anything about it. Heaven was his creation, and he didn't want to alter it or destroy it, even if the gods were failures. If he killed them all, there would only be a new set of gods warring over Heaven."

"So he decided to reincarnate into the mortal planes, abdicating his throne to allow one of the gods to do what he could not: end Heaven's civil war for good."

"But he could not... at least, without saying a final farewell to his personal handmaid, **Di**."

"Over those long thousands of years, they had fallen in love... but, since he was ruler of the Heavens he had made, and she was his servant, it went nowhere."

"That night, she had caught him as he prepared to reincarnate. She begged him to stay and reconsider, but he refused. He was stubborn, convinced that abdicating was the only way to solve Heaven's problem. But then he realized another problem: **Di** would be left at the mercy of whoever become the head of Heaven after him. He couldn't bear the idea that someone else would force upon themselves on her. Neither could she. Their love never waned, but had only grown more intense."

"That night, they had a night of passionate love, of sad, tearful love, of one realized too late. They loved with all they had- because in the end, the night was all the time they had together."

"In the daytime, he reincarnated, leaving her brokenhearted and alone. The only thing he could be happy about was that they had become one, and that for once, he had made her truly happy. And before he become another person under his own Heavens, he made a promise."

"No matter how much time passes, no matter the pain or madness... please, let Master serve you."

Li Xian couldn't help but begin to cry, tears falling down her beautiful face. Those words spoke to her. "Is that- is that your-"

He laughed, sadly. "No. But I wish it was."

* * *

 _ **I personally have to speak to you all, yet again.**_

 _ **As of now I am still under the Great Firewall of China. This means my ability to write is impaired, because I use Google Docs.**_

 _ **As of now I've caught a lucky break because the hotel has a VPN. I can't guarantee the same with the other places I'm going to.**_

 _ **This was a lucky week for me, I'm not going to lie. The chapter took me four days to write.**_

 _ **Four days.**_

 _ **That is honestly the fastest I have ever written something that I like.**_

 _ **But beware: it won't last. Updates from now on will probably slow down again as I battle the Chinese firewall.**_

 _ **Going to China, I have a hella more ideas for this fanfiction.**_

 _ **Why?**_

 _ **Because this fanfic has elements from a Chinese genre- in fact, uniquely so. I'm talking about xianxia.**_

 _ **Visiting Chinese sites has made me small and large. It made me understand what it feels to be mortal as I looked up at the walls of the Forbidden City and immortal as I looked down upon all of China from its Great Wall.**_

 _ **So how should I say it? Oh, yes: I've received some enlightenment.**_

 _ **Thank you for dealing with me and my infrequent updating, as well as this long author's note afterwards.**_

 _ **Thank you for dealing with sex, of all things, for at least 25% of this chapter.**_

 _ **I wish you all good fortune, but no pity. :D**_

 _ **So please, share and review this work. Every review is something I take, that I'll gladly see and use to improve. Because in the end I'm still kinda mortal, despite the bullshit I posted on my profile. We all are.**_


	9. Qī: Wasted Energy for a Job

_**I speak of a team, who shall be fantastically color coordinated! They shall be... RWBY!**_

 _ **And they will be taught by the best of the best! We will call him... that asshole with serious mental issues and a penchant for suicidal shit!**_

 _Oh, just fuck off!_

 _ **You're right, I should fuck off. You don't even get a job!**_

 _Terms:_

 _ **Bànbì-**_ _Chinese traditional clothing. Composed of a blouse and a skirt which wraps around one's body._

 _ **Lì-**_ _Force. Power. Etc._

* * *

 **Qī: Wasted Energy for a Job**

* * *

It all started when he left the airship and stepped onto Beacon grounds. As he stretched his muscles and carried his carry-on luggage, something blew up.

He wondered if things would ever stop exploding when he was nearby.

His eyes quickly scanned the area. They focused on a cart of Dust canisters, then a pale, delicate hand, then to the icy princess who smoothly let go of it. She was elegant, and her fragility would stir the hearts of anyone.

Fumetsu gave no shits as he examined Weiss Schnee, arguing with another girl caped in red. Red, black, sliver- as if this new girl was into the gothic style and was secretly a vampire.

Given his extensive knowledge of conversation between humans and the various seasons of RWBY he had watched beforehand (out of boredom in an alternate universe), he knew something would blow up. If he remembered correctly, it would be the fire Dust...

But Weiss was about to pick up some lightning Dust. If that discharged, all the Dust she had would explode... leaving a multicolored explosion that would probably shake the school and blow all the incoming students off the cliff. Energy would conduct along the metallic containers and wipe her and Gothic Red off the face of the planet.

Discreetly, without either of them noticing, he switched lightning with fire by rapidly exchanging the two like a pickpocket in Rome. He quickly passed by-

"And you! Why didn't you make sure she didn't fall on my luggage!" Weiss shouted.

"Crap," Fumetsu muttered. At least she didn't notice the substitution.

He elected to ignore her and walk past her. For his trouble, a variety of Glyphs surrounded him as Weiss Schnee stood in front of him. Myrtenaster stood at his throat, silent.

"Do I have to be responsible for everything? Why can't you deal with your own problems?" Fumetsu said. "It's your stuff, so your responsibility. Why not take care of your Dust like that rapier of yours?"

As if he couldn't be bothered, he guided her rapier away from his flesh and carefully navigated around the Glyphs. They only flared up and grew larger, surrounding both of them in a circle of circles.

"Weiss!"

As soon as Li Xian shouted, the Glyphs disappeared. Fumetsu quickly made a sprint for Beacon, but something- oh no, a deadly weapon- quickly smacked him over the head.

He crumbled to the ground before Li Xian dragged him back towards Weiss.

"No... freedom..." he groaned.

"Oh shut up, you can always escape with your Semblance," Li Xian replied.

The immortal grumbled under his breath, muttering quick curses as he stood up. He then subtly backed away as, as if by fate, Weiss picked up the fire Dust.

"Weiss, you realize that you're holding-"

"Ah-CHHOO!"

Fire burst forth from Ruby and Weiss's location, lightly searing Fumetsu's clothing. The Dust containers on the floor became even more disorganized, as if aspiring to be a elemental minefield.

Which, by the way, happened. Another vial of fire Dust blew up, tossing an unfortunate blonde student into a tree. The tree lost. Didn't help that he wore armor and had a f***ing shield on him.

The warrior sighed, punching the immortal harshly in the ribs. "You did this?"

"In all fairness, she was about to spray lightning Dust into Gothic Red's face. Then we all would've been dead," Fumetsu optimistically said. Then he coughed- whoops, bad acting.

"As if," Li Xian scoffed.

The immortal looked at her. "So you think I lie a lot?"

She stared at him with those earthy-brown eyes. "Yes."

Fumetsu shrugged. "Well, at least you know that. Now excuse me, I have a professor to find-"

Precise steps echoed behind him in an orderly manner, speeding up as if angered by his offensive existence. The wind shrieked as a certain blonde wielded her riding crop like a whip.

"Mr. White, so glad you could join the meeting _a week late_."

The immortal turned towards Glynda Goodwitch with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Sorry about that- when you're stuck in Atlas, waiting for your next paycheck, it's a little hard to catch a flight to here," he said carelessly. "I said that there would be virtual monopolies in the Dust industry. That would increase prices and make the airship industry pass costs down to the customer, but no! Nobody in the Atlesian Council believed me because they're all supported by lobbyists from those industries!"

Mirror eyes met emerald green eyes. His portals to the soul didn't show the same enthusiasm his words carried. They were cold and dead, like that of a body sealed in a hermetic room and left there to asphyxiate and freeze in winter.

The Grimm would kill to eat those eyes, then die of explosive food poisoning.

Goodwitch took a step back by instinct. Then she realized he was much shorter than she thought- a good 5'11"- and a lot younger than he said he was.

Fumetsu could tell she was _pissed_ that he "lied" about his age.

Of course, he wasn't lying about something as trivial as his age. If anything, Ozpin would probably be more likely to hire him if he was older. The man needed people to fight for his cause against Salem, and those that could be trusted were few and far in the world.

"Who do you think you are!?" Weiss furiously whispered in his ear. "Are you asking-"

"Yes, I'm asking to die and look like I've been flayed to death," Fumetsu dryly said. "So, aren't you going to test my teaching skills? My combat abilities? I just want to get the tests done so I have a source of income again."

Her right pale hand gripped the riding crop as if she was trying to snap it in half. "Mr. White, please come with me then."

"Finally!" the immortal replied. "This bureaucratic line of bull-"

At this point, Goodwitch was just done with him. She quite literally threw him into an arena with telekinesis before she walked towards the crash site. Must've felt good to vent stress like that.

"-crack is an affront to any respectable institution!"

And she turned around to find Fumetsu, still talking shit about Beacon. At this point, Ruby was gasping in horror at the blasphemy he spoke, Weiss was loading Myrtenaster with Dust, and Li Xian had her jian up to smack him into the ground.

Meanwhile, a feline beauty that seemed to be one with the shadows walked onto the scene, accompanied by a certain concerned sister. Both picked up a vial of Dust and stared at the scene ahead of them.

Yang Xiao Long snickered. "I think somebody's in trouble," she said.

Blake Belladonna nodded silently.

And then there was the headmaster, who past the two of them and stopped besides the headmistress.

"Mr. White, it looks like you've had quite the adventure."

There they stood, both at the ready, surrounded by a growing number of gawking students. Ruby and the rest of the fanboying masses were cheering for Ozpin, obviously- why support the upstart student that flipped off the headmistress?

"Ozpin, I've honestly had many too many," Fumetsu replied.

The headmaster shrugged. "Well, I suppose you'll need to go to the application process. Despite what you've done, Bone, you still have to go through the process."

The immortal stretched carelessly. "Fair enough. I'll let the others clean up the mess. You're good at cleaning those up, right Goodwitch?"

There! That shit-eating grin again! Goodwitch so wanted to crush this person into a pulp. No- she wanted him to clean everything up for the rest of his miserable existence on Remnant!

Fumetsu and Ozpin nodded mutually before they began a leisurely walk to the arena.

"Hmm- a little warmer than I remembered. Atlas's industrial age will fuck up Remnant in around 400 years or so, unless the other continents build their own Dust-fueled plants," the immortal remarked.

They passed the cafeteria, now packed with students clamoring to meet old and new friends.

Friends. What a... odd word.

Ozpin sighed. "Do not try to play dumb, **Monstrosity** ," the headmaster said seriously. "You've been off humanity's sights for so long they practically wrote you off. Even the pilgrims that visited you never imagined that you were such a myth."

Fumetsu laughed. "I prefer Fumetsu. Has a nice ring to it. Bone White is so obviously a pseudonym."

"Every one of the students thought you were one of them until Goodwitch met you," the golden-eyed man said. "And now you go, doing whatever you so please, and decide, of all things, to apply for a job here."

"Yep." He shrugged carelessly. "I want some income. Modern society requires it."

A black eyebrow raised up. "Don't you have retirement funds from previous lives?" he asked quizzically. "Before this you were a manager of a Dust mine infamous for Faunus abuse. And before that you ran a labor camp that worked Mistrali dissidents to death. And much, much, further beyond that, you desecrated royal tombs and had men executed by the hundreds."

"You've done your research, Ozpin. Unfortunately, I gave it all to someone else before you gave her a full ride to Beacon."

They stood in front of Beacon Tower now, the clock ticking and ticking. It stood there, exuding a sense of eternity that Fumetsu immediately saw through.

"Not bad," the immortal said as he tested the structure with a quick right straight. "I'd advise you keep an eye on it."

His knuckles did nothing to the structure- they only bled, leaving red on the stone.

"Good construction," Fumetsu praised. "Probably will take nothing short of a Grimm Wyvern to level it down, right?"

"The way that you put it," Ozpin said, "it sounded like you wanted us all dead."

"I do."

The headmaster stopped. "What did you say?"

"I want everyone dead, so much."

Those mirror eyes spoke of nothing- they could not, because they were so dead inside-out. They merely twisted and broke and drowned and burned and choked and bled with and in hate. They couldn't speak of misery or envy or anger or madness. They didn't have to- they carved it into a cruel, defacing scar and left you like a rape victim. They took something to feel something, only to feel nothing but hate.

Ozpin twirled his cane and assumed a fencer's position as the air around Fumetsu shook, screaming and tearing and crying and begging.

It was a mistake to bring the wrathful immortal here.

And then it all stopped. The immortal looked on peacefully, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Well, why are we wasting time, then?" Fumetsu asked neutrally. "I want to get hired."

The headmaster cautiously lowered his cane to the ground, then nodded. He gestured towards the clock tower. The immortal opened it and entered.

He instantly regretted it.

 _What are Beacon's hiring policies? If I'm looking at this..._

Half of him wanted to whip out a pistol and shoot everyone in the room. At least it'd guarantee his job and remove these... bodacious annoyances.

"Ozpin, you realize that-"

"The students listen to a teacher with a... suitable bust size better," Ozpin replied with a straight face. "In addition, we are in need of a combat class. Otherwise, Glynda will have to substitute for yet another year when she has other responsibilities."

"Okay, but to this end?" Fumetsu asked.

They were all young, perhaps just four years out of a Huntsman's academy. The three all were women at the prime of their lives, at their most beautiful- and how beautiful they were. And they probably were all good at some amazingly impractical and flashy weapon that would make their buxom chests bounce up and down.

"Mr. White, please meet Mrs.-"

"Their names don't matter to me, Ozpin. I want a fucking job. And if I have to fight these bimbos to prove it, then I will. Even if they all don't know what 'dress code' means. If they want to reveal boobs, then they should expect battlefield nudity. They're all little kids who don't understand anything."

Fumetsu faced all three of them, his eyes cold and sharp like a keen knife before it entered flesh. His left hand twitched again and again as if it wanted to choke something, preferrably them.

"Who do you think you are? You are just a kid," one of them said, offended.

The three women looked at him, some radiating coldness that would freeze limbs and blood.

They were beauties on the same level of Goodwitch and the general female population of Beacon Academy.

The first was a pale, pure beauty dressed in a purer white bànbì, with two elegant butterfly swords hidden in her robes. Her long, braided black hair contrasted with her stoic gray eyes that were as sharp as steel.

The second wore thick, bulky armor that looked like it could tank a cluster bomb- and did, if the scratches meant anything. Her skin was surprisingly delicate and untouched save for three parallel scars on her left eyebrow. With her ruby-red hair and equally red eyes, she probably would be some idiot warrior's goddess wielding, oh, a fucking longsword- which she had! And it's probably Chinese too!

Finally, there was- oh, isn't that the bibliophile who fucked up Junior's bar a few chapters before?

"Master, who put you in a bad mood today?"

Fumetsu immediately stopped his bitching-

 _Okay, which motherfucker is badmouthing me?_

Jeez, fine! Fumetsu stopped ranting about the quality of the potential teaching staff and immediately turned towards her.

"Oh, nothing, except irresponsible Dust containment and nearly being blown up again," the immortal rattled off.

She giggled. "You haven't changed in all these years, Master," she said, her voice as gentle as a feather. "It's been so long."

A rare smile that made the other two stop for a moment- read the chapter after the prologue for his description- lit up Fumetsu's face. "How've you been, you little bibliophile? I bet you married a rich classic, didn't you?"

"No, no, no. But I did get engaged recently."

The immortal spat out water from the bottle he always carried on his person. "Wait, what? To who!?"

Mirror eyes met beige ones. "Not telling you~" she teased.

He groaned, cursing quickly under his breath. "You were always a tricky one. Looks like I'll have to beat it out like old times," Fumetsu said.

"Aren't you forgetting us?" the pure beauty with twin butterfly swords asked.

The lass with armor drew out a thick sabre. "You've been this arrogant when you walked into the room, and now-"

The immortal cut her off and turned towards Ozpin. "Have anywhere to fight?" he asked.

"Why are you so interested in fighting?" the headmaster asked. "You always want to hit something or destroy something."

"I have a personal interest in suffering," the dead man replied. "Isn't it funny? In everything, no matter what you do, you cannot escape suffering. Being born is suffering, being aborted is suffering, living is suffering. Just thinking of how things go right means thinking of how things go wrong- and that's suffering. Nobody can escape it. Even the Buddha suffered."

Those words felt oppressive, like a tyrant's gaze that stared you down until you broke through ground and fell into hell.

"Don't worry about him. He's like this when he's pissed about something. Give him some time: he'll be fine," the bookworm said.

A butterfly sword flashed with steely Aura. "Didn't you hear the insulting words that he said before?" she angrily replied. "He doesn't think much about us. If he wants to rattle a wasp's nest, then let him be stung and suffer the consequences."

"And if he brought pesticides?" She let that hang in the air as she unsheathed a sword that seemed as airy as the wind and just as sharp. "Ozpin, could you please arrange a battle between him and us?"

The headmaster sighed in relief. "Of course," he said. "It's why we reserved the arena for today. It's all yours today. We'll let the janitor handle the cleanup afterwards."

Fumetsu suddenly had a intense premonition that he'd be doing all the cleaning... but anyways, he got the fight he wanted. Yay?

"So when do we start-" he began.

 _Whoosh!_ The red-haired girl (Fumetsu refused to acknowledge her as an adult) batted him into the air with the flat part of her blade, lobbing him into the stadium in a high arc.

The immortal was falling towards a rather wrathful headmistress. As he landed dead center in the arena, crushing stone and bone, he gave her an easy middle finger.

"Have a wonderful day!" he said. Slowly, he sat up, dusting off his distressed dress shirt and black pants. "I know I will, beating up-"

He snatched a jagged rock from the shattered earth beneath him before twisting in a circle to deflect an overhead slash from the redheaded warrior.

"Your ranged accuracy is pretty bad," Fumetsu noted. "Probably why you've bulked up and decided to focus on brute force here."

"This 'brute force' is enough to defeat you," she growled as she stomped the ground. The tremor shook the immortal's bones- in fact, he noted how his left fibula cracked as he lost balance-

-only to whip out a hooking uppercut that sent her above and behind him. His right hand's knuckles were broken now, the fingers now loosely hanging like swinging bodies on the gallows.

"Well, then you're a foolish little girl who thinks punching harder will save the world. It won't."

The air parted way for twin butterfly swords as that elegant lady blurred into view. They had an innate sharpness to them, as if they would split anything in their path in two. In fact, the wind was screeching slightly as they flew in from her left...

So the immortal walked forwards and allowed the blades to slice off his right arm. The clean cut took two seconds before realizing, duh, it was supposed to be bleeding. Muscle, bone, fat, skin, and blood fell-

-into his other hand. Fumetsu's right arm was now a club.

"You are such a crude monster-" the black-haired woman began as she approached with a stab.

Metal entered flesh all the way to the crossguard of the butterfly sword. It punctured through the immortal's sternum and into his heart, muscle severing under steel's edge. Blood sprayed out from the wound, dying her pure white bànbì crimson.

"Really? Well, you just killed somebody. An unwarranted murder. Don't you feel so pure and holy?"

Fumetsu grinned as he exhaled, gurgling blood before spitting it out with the force of a fire hose suppressing protesters. It slammed into her, blasting her backwards as she lost her grip on the embedded butterfly sword.

"You don't have aura!?" the elegant lady shouted.

The immortal silenced her by clubbing her into the ground with a diagonal swing, disintegrating the arena below him. The foundation of the building broke apart, leaving a crater with the lady and a pool of acidic blood.

"Never did. I don't need it to tenderize you into a fleshy ragdoll."

He opted to finish her off with an overhead slash with his severed arm. The wind compressed underneath the improvised weapon, crushing all with sheer air pressure. It would kill the butterfly sword child...

... had the armored woman not slammed into him and pinned him to the ground. Just for good measure, she elbowed him in the head. It took off the right side of his head, revealing metal bone, muscle, and blood.

His right arm jolted out of his grip and away from him.

"You're just as strong, but the ground beneath us should be falling and breaking apart," Fumetsu gurgled, his one good eye staring at her crimson ones. "Support from the bookworm, no? Doesn't matter, cause-"

She saw the glow in his left eyes intensify, blinding her even after she closed her eyes. And then her skin registered the blistering heat...

The immortal caught her in the stomach with a left straight, right in the gaping hole he melted in her armor. It burned both of them as molten metal consumed his left hand and her Aura.

It left him smoldering while she landed a distance away on her back. It looked like she was trying to remove her armor.

"Are you done playing with me? I can tell you are all cultivators," Fumetsu said. "Ozpin already knows- hell, he kept track of me, for fuck's sake. Recognized me by my myth years ago. Why aren't you going to use anything?"

He shook his head as the last of his shirt smoldered away, leaving his tattered pants.

"Master, they're being hunted by their sect," the bookworm said. "If they are found out in the mortal areas of Remnant, then they will be-"

"Yeah, and their sect won't fuck with me," the immortal countered. "Remember when your old master came after me?"

The light blade stabbed through space, slashing through an artery before Fumetsu could move in time. At the same time, a character flashed in her other hand as she struck him with a palm.

"力". **(Lì)**

Fumetsu opted to do what any sane people would do- he dodged the palm with the weird letter that could, for all he knew, could shoot him out of the arena with a concussion. He decided to do it by ripping out his heart, part of his ribs, part of his lungs, and some blood vessels to form a hole large enough to accommodate her hand. And with such a vital organ in his good arm, he forcibly squeezed the lump of electrically synchronized muscle in his hand.

Like a shot it hit her in the stomach, dyeing her robes red as she was flung into the wall. Stone cracked, then sank into itself as blood sprayed and soaked into the building.

His hand released his heart as he let it hang within his open body cavity. The liquid his organs were formerly suspended in were pouring out of him, forming a pool of red around him.

"That it? You little bookworm, I know you're more clever than this if you had the guts to challenge me again..." Fumetsu gurgled. "Unless-"

"力". **(Lì)**

The stones beneath his feet acted as shrapnel as they flayed his skin, skinning and piercing and crushing his flesh as they gouged out enough muscle to make his right leg useless.

He flew upwards as his body twisted around and around uncontrollably.

"Good job."

Fumetsu broke whatever ribs were still intact within him and forced jagged bone through his back with his one good arm. They began bleeding as they thudded into the ceiling, which had stayed mostly intact (save for that gaping hole Fumetsu made by flying).

"I am impressed-"

The dismembered arm spasmed as arcs of electricity burst from its clenched fist, striking all three of the combatants (and Goodwitch, just for kicks). It soon went still before smoothly rolling onto its palm and walking on its fingers. There were still some shards of metal and glass embedded in it.

(Yes, lightning. Remember the lightning Dust he swapped out for fire instead? I had to lie about that.)

His ribs failed to fight gravity as Fumetsu fell and impaled himself in the gut on his own dismembered arm. Then he stood up.

"Do I get my job now?" the immortal asked Ozpin. "I've shown I'm the best combatant here-"

Then a storm of rocks came his way, courtesy of Goodwitch's Semblance as they flew with her distinctive purple Aura. They were pretty sharp...

And useless as Fumetsu chucked his arm and performed a long-range slap with the technique of an ultimate frisbee player.

The stones dropped like the atmosphere in the arena as Goodwitch nearly tripped as she stumbled backwards.

"Even if you show yourself to be the best fighter, the school will not consider you for the job unless you show other qualifications," Ozpin steely said. "You may have shown that you can beat others without Aura, but you did so at the cost of your own limbs and body. That shows a inability to endure during battle-"

"Look, I don't have to. As much as I'd love to crush my enemies underfoot, I'd like them to have a little hope. After all..."

Fumetsu smiled cruelly as he began regenerating, flesh regrowing from stumps and bone mending itself properly. He took his right arm and reattached it to his shoulder.

"I need something to break."

"Then you and I need to talk."

The immortal shrugged as he squeezed the last drops of red out of his hair. "Talk about what? About the job?"

"Our enemy," Ozpin said.

"Your enemy. Humanity's and Faunuskind's enemy. Not my enemy," Fumetsu corrected. "I don't care about who you fight. I just want the fucking job."

The man sighed. The immortal was one of the most irritating beings that he had ever encountered, for sure.

"Vale will be gone within a year if you don't join," Ozpin lied.

Mirror eyes met golden ones. "Don't act dumb," Fumetsu said. "I know (you lied)."

"Master, it's important," the bibliophile said.

"To you, everything is important," Fumetsu grumbled. "Why must I be involved? I retired, for god's sake. I've fought my share of eternal wars and I'm done. So let me tell you Ozpin..."

His mirror eyes closed.

"I'm done. All I want is to be normal. To live the rest of my eternal life without any chaos. Nothing. I want nothing."

"Salem has the help of a being named ' **Tiān'."**

The world stopped in horror as Fumetsu's eyes dilated.

"Heaven aids the Grimm Mistress..." he half-growled. "Heaven..."

His flesh began to rot away, as if time finally grasped ahold of him. Young became old, old became dead, dead became putrefying, liquefying flesh.

That flesh begat hate. Hate was what he did. He spread hate like the plague.

"So Heaven continues to hate me. Heaven still despises me after all these ages, no matter what? Those Heavens?"

Mirrors cracked, then mended themselves as Fumetsu breathed in.

"Your fight isn't my fight. But Heaven always left me alone, let me be despite the threat that I posed to them. And now they decided to spite me by backing her."

The world was fine. But Fumetsu wasn't there anymore.

" **Míng Zhì** , we have always been enemies. Once we both lost those close to us. We only have our own lives left to take. We were never truly free."

The three women that Fumetsu fought had managed to stand up shakily (save the bibliophile, who had it better than the two others). They had scavenged their weapons and items from the ruins of the arena (save the red-haired woman- her armor was melted beyond repair).

From the pool of blood, Fumetsu emerged. His body was the same as before, but one couldn't help but see stark emptiness from him.

He looked up as the arena's ceiling became dust and flew upwards. It was like angel dust, except it doesn't make you high. The work of light's perfection became nothing as a deity descended.

She was-

"So he decides to send in a emissary instead? Coward. Even sent in his own descendent, and it had to be some arrogant **Foundation Establishment** girl who thinks she can make me talk outta my ass with a finger. Must be a practical joke if he thinks I'm unstable."

Her face was beautiful and radiant, her vibrant porcelain skin and pale white hair sweeping over eyes of sunlight. Her body was well proportioned and well-endowed- because beautiful women are not the minority in this world- so much so that her robe was threatening to burst open.

She reminded him of that bastard.

"So who are you? You really think you have a chance against me? Think your "ancestor" will protect you? Because let me tell you- he won't. He wants to, no doubt 'cause of the 'goodness' within him, but he can't," Fumetsu seriously said.

"How vulgar of you to say that," she snapped back as a blinding beam of light burst forth from her hand. "You-"

The immortal waved her off. "Can't see shit with that. Also, it's daylight. Didn't you ever learn about conserving electricity? Energy bills aren't a drop in the bucket, you know."

"You do not give me face-" she began yet again, obviously annoyed.

"-because you don't deserve any. Your ancestor's face is sure not your fucking face. With me, you earn it or lose it faster than your life," Fumetsu finished. "Or I might rip off your actual face."

She chucked the light at him as it became a ray faster than the eye could see. Fumetsu sidestepped it casually as he walked out the pool of blood, so his wanger was showing.

The innocent fucking arrogant girl closed her eyes in embarrassment. Fumetsu took whatever was left of his pants, put it on, and walked out the door.

"You can't hide from me!" she shouted as a weapon appeared in her hand.

The immortal climbed up the building's wall carefully, under the cover of nothing as he finally swung himself on the building. He looked down at her as he make a fist and a middle finger. Because fuck her, he just wanted a job.

"I just did."

He then jumped onto her unceremoniously and felt the impact rush through his leg as they both hit the ground.

"You done playing around yet? You couldn't even tell where I was. I gave you a good fucking five minutes and you had no idea where I was. Where was your sensory perception, eh? Jesus, you ancestor would disown you if he saw this," Fumetsu said. "You're a disgrace."

He kicked her head for good measure, just to torment her, before walking all over her pristine robe and out of the arena. "Till tomorrow, Ozpin. I hope you add some explosives to my launch pad. And maybe this little girl will learn some respect."

Brown eyes understood what he meant as the immortal left.

"Maybe I have your name?" Ozpin cautiously asked the newcomer.

"Kneel, then," she impetuously said.

The headmaster sighed. "Let me put it like this: I can register you into this school if I have your name. If you are registered, then you may have that man as your teacher. You can learn from him his techniques, his secrets, his ability, if he is who I think he is."

"Why would I want to learn from my enemy?" she shot back.

"Why are you such a brat?"

She screamed like a kid as she nearly jumped out of her robes. Even then, her bust was nearly out of the folds of fabric there, giving any male a delicious taste...

Fumetsu stared disapprovingly at her. "I only care about your ancestor. Unless his descendants cross me, I don't give a fuck. So take the fucking offer. Be a student and learn valuable lessons or get the hell out."

A beam of light suddenly lit up on one of her free hands. Without batting his eyes, he stomped her right wrist and began putting his body weight on it, crushing it...

"So you can't even say yes or no?" Fumetsu asked causally.

Her sunlight irises met his mirror eyes, and she shivered. He was an apathetic force of nature that would kill her without a thought. A monster within a man...

Nope. Just nope. I wish you were right. I really fucking wish she was right.

"What is your name?" the immortal apathetically said.

She gave in and told him.

"Good. Now go ahead and register. I hope to see you in my class," Fumetsu replied. "Have a good day, Míng Huā."

He proceeded to take his foot off and offer a hand to help her up. She refused against- from the shame.

"You've forced me down and violated me..." she muttered as she began to cry. Her robe was still open, revealing her-

No. Show some restraint.

Fumetsu rolled his eyes. "Don't even go there," he sighed. "I broke your pride. You'll thank me later. Because in this world, you can't afford to be as arrogant as you are."

He withdrew his hand and walked away. "I'll be getting some new clothes. Do I get the job, Ozpin?"

"... No."

The immortal proceeded to spit out a gallon of blood on the floor, violently. He then fell on his knees, holding himself up with two hands on the floor. Finally, he curled up into the fetal position.

"It's all pointless. The economy is based upon the consistent increase in Dust production, and the Dust crystals on which the industry is built on will continue to decrease until used or replenished through high energetic activity. That energy in itself is limited and unlikely to arise from within the Remnant system, leading to the low probability of new Dust formation, reinforcing the idea that entropy is the God of the world, dictating all and wasting all beings, therefore there is no meaning in life at all..."

"Master, you just have to pass the second portion of the examination," the bookworm cheerfully said.

He stood up quickly and stared at her in disbelief. Ozpin simply confirmed it.

"Well okay. So, what's the job I have to do?" Fumetsu asked.

Ozpin sighed. "Clean up everything and get ready for the test tomorrow."

The immortal looked around him, saw the destruction he did, and uttered immortal words. "FFFFFUUUUCCCCCCKKKK!"

* * *

 _From the guy who can't update fast enough-_

 _ **No shit!**_

 _Jeez! I know!_

 _Anyways, I know I've been off for a long-ass time. That, my readers, is called "college". And college got more stuff than I thought it was. Combining the word of God and chemistry has had my brain smote more times than I ate breakfast this semester._

 _But anyhow, that's not the point._

 _At this point, the writing is probably going to be much faster than this. The workload for college was much more intense than I thought it would be. At least because I'm shitty with time management._

 _ **Yeah, I can tell. Let's talk about what you do:**_

 _ **You waste time.**_

 _ **You waste time.**_

 _ **You waste time.**_

 _ **You try to do your work.**_

 _ **But mostly you waste time.**_

 _And you?_

 _ **At least I do something about my life.**_

 _No, you do something about other people's life. You fuck them over as much as possible. You just go out of your way to make things worse._

 _Let's face it, you're the-_

 _ **Remember how I have-**_

 _I have enough problem dealing with you, buddy. Let me dissect what you basically do, right here-_

 _ **Oh, you want to do this? Bring it then.**_

 _Sure, you asshole._

 _ **That's beautiful. Please, tell that to all your readers here, eh?**_


	10. Bā: Two Foreigners

_Welcome to a replay of those episodes, except teams aren't formed and-_

 _ **I fuck up some Grimm.**_

 _Don't lie. Other people do, and you'll get your chance. But I still stand by my statement- you're not getting a job._

* * *

 **Bā: Two Foreigners**

* * *

The sleeping bag was the warmest bed Li Xian had ever been in.

She couldn't help but remark on how different Vale was compared to Atlas. For once, she knew real warmth and the beauty of fall. Though the starkness and modernity of Atlas took her breath away too...

Li Xian constantly compared the two.

Atlas was sleek and beautiful in its practicality, with its castles of stone hiding walls and bunkers of steel and technology.

Vale was ancient and quaint, yet its tall buildings seemed to rival those of her home city.

Besides the seasons, Li Xian felt what Vale represented.

 _Freedom._

She remembered how, to warm her up at nights, she wrapped herself in a fleece blanket in a barely solvent motel. There were some stormy, snow-filled nights when she considered selling her body for a glimmer of warmth...

Li Xian shook her head. She was glad she didn't do that. She didn't think she would be able to respect herself if she became a courtesan for one of the old money families in Atlas.

Now, she had enough freedom and money- a dream come true.

She sat up and looked around as everyone was chatting around her or getting ready to sleep or whatever.

 _Where's Fumetsu?_

After Goodwitch took him away (for what she presumed was a job interview, if the words they exchanged meant anything) she practically went the whole day without even a peek of him. She had decent food from the cafeteria- better than she expected, although Dionysia screwed her face after having some chicken- and enjoyed the ambience of the place before listening to the headmaster's speech.

Although, now that she thought about it, she did hear some thunderous noise before the meeting. It sounded like something was being smashed into the ground repeatedly. A good ten minutes after that, Ozpin showed up and began his commencement speech.

It was interesting, to say the least, and painfully honest. If she didn't know any better, she'd have thought that Fumetsu was in disguise, speaking to them all.

"Wasted energy"? A method to crush the spirits of those who didn't have the drive to live in the face of never ending Grimm.

"Knowledge"? A mockery of all the pain students felt to even gain the _right_ to be in Beacon, a statement that said, clearly: "You're not enough".

"First step"? A dare to fully immerse oneself into the harsh reality of the world, and a call to arms- if the students listening knew how _not_ to lose them.

She couldn't confirm it, but every bit of it was probably Fumetsu's way of encouraging them all.

Well, with night coming as the moon rose in the starry sky, she didn't expect the immortal to be back any time soon. After all, with how long he lived, he probably had better things to do...

A sigh escaped as Li Xian looked out the window. She missed him.

But she didn't know why. She fully acknowledged that any logical person would have dumped him, called him out for his asshole tendencies, and ran away. She did not.

Why was a very good question. She couldn't answer that question.

But she could tell, even if nobody else could. Fumetsu was hurting, badly. Something must've happened to completely fuck up his worldview and leave him...

Well, Li Xian couldn't help but feel that he was so hollow. That whatever answers he gave her, was all a lie. That the person she met, standing with such _power_ in Atlas in the bitter cold was just a facade of the real him.

"Li-Li!"

Dionysia suddenly grasped her mounds and squished them in her drunken bliss. Li Xian had the sudden urge to challenge her to the death. The nerve of her to do it in front of boys...

Speaking of which, there was a small group of guys ogling both of them, along with a group of girls doing the same.

"Nysia. Off. Now," Li Xian said.

"But it'd be a shame to~" the drunken girl giggled.

Athenia, who was just chatting with Etoile nearby, forcibly dragged her off Li Xian while Etoile walked over.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Just thinking about what happened today. It's been a crazy day..."

"Tell me about it..."

Etoile gave her a kind smile before turning around to help Athenia deal with Dionysia.

Li Xian turned her head immediately as Fumetsu stumbled through the crowd of boys. He looked really, really tired as he swayed to the left and right with his back hunched.

Then he fell flat on his face, right in front of her sleeping bag.

"Urrrggghhh," he groaned as he began to drag himself to an empty spot nearby her with a free arm.

"You okay?" Li Xian tentatively asked as she looked at him. "I mean-"

Fumetsu managed to flop onto his back as he removed his shirt, folding it into a makeshift pillow. "The interviews sucked! Getting a job to pay for tuition was a bad idea!" he complained. "And I missed the commencement ceremony, too! Dammit! I couldn't even get a bit to eat! I should've gotten financial aid!"

"That's all on you," she said. "You're the one that chose to pick five part-time jobs."

His mirror eyes looked into her earth-brown ones. "Yeah, and I assumed that they would manage to give four of the jobs to somebody else," he said. "I was wrong, obviously."

His mirror eyes closed as he turned onto his side, lying on the ground.

"You didn't bring anything?" Li Xian asked. "Aren't you-"

"Anything I can skimp on, I will flat out not buy," Fumetsu said. "You know me. I'm a cheapskate. I brought the minimum amount of clothes I needed, along with a towel for multipurpose use and basic hygienic tools."

"That would explain a lot," she deadpanned as she looked at him. Then again, she wasn't complaining about the sweet body that Fumetsu had...

"Hmm. You look nice," he remarked. "Nice and warm. Wish I was smart enough to get a sleeping bag, instead of using clothes as blankets. I'm a idiot."

He shook his head. "I'm hallucinating again, aren't I?" he muttered to himself. "Maybe I should've eaten at one of those street stalls..."

A loud growling erupted from his stomach. Everyone in a ten-foot radius momentarily stared at him. Fumetsu merely flopped onto his stomach, as if keeping it out of sight would make everyone forget it happened.

"The cafeteria is closed," a random student stated.

"There's gotta be at least one hoarder here..." Fumetsu said as he curled up into the fetal position.

He looked at Li Xian with a knowing eye. She pretended not to notice and turned around towards a non-existent student. Fumetsu, in turn, swiftly slipped a hand into her sleeping bag.

"WHAT ARE YOU-!" she demanded.

"Figured," he said casually before he took out a container of dumplings. "I wondered what that slight bump in the bed was."

"Give that back!" Li Xian ordered. "Or else..."

"Don't be a cheapskate. Be generous. Donate money to the poor and feel like you're helping address the poverty of the more unfortunate," Fumetsu replied, dismissing her as he took off the top.

"You're not even that poor!" she countered.

"Well, now I am," he retorted as he plopped a dumpling in his mouth while slapping down the last of his Lien. He chewed before he swallowed with a grimace. "Oh, pork. It... it's undercooked, isn't it? And the vegetables are dry, and the dumplings were fried for too long..."

The immortal put down the container of food. "Don't eat it," he warned. "Also, where's the nearest restroom? I'm gonna hurl."

Somebody pointed towards a rather large door. Fumetsu ran in that general direction, accidently knocking down a few people as he went to upchuck barf into a toilet. Because good food is a luxury, and any "good" trainer knows child soldiers need to learn suffering early.

"That no for good vagrant..." a girl muttered after a good 30 minutes before she walked towards Li Xian. "May I take this spot?"

The earth-brown eyes smiled. "Why not? Besides, the guy that passed by you isn't going to be back soon. And since he took some of my food, I'll just make sure he's nowhere near me as punishment."

Sunlight eyes returned the favor. "Thank you," she said formally. "It has been a long day."

Li Xian nodded. "Yes. A lot of things happened to both of us. Aren't you cold?"

She pointed at the rather thin and revealing robe that the newcomer was wearing.

The white-haired girl shook her head. "I will be fine," she insisted before she coughed.

"No, you're not," the brown-haired warrior said. "Here, let me get something."

She looked up in time to see Fumetsu trudging out of the door, clearly exhausted as he held his own cheap sleeping bag. He was probably out a little longer, searching for a shop that was open so late at night.

"Sleeping bag, please?" Li Xian said, looking at the immortal.

He looked back at her blankly. "Sure, just let me sleep in poverty," he replied. "I'll be fine with what I have."

The sarcasm obviously flew over the white-haired girl's head as she snatched the sleeping bag from his hands. "Thank you for providing for me," she mumbled as she faced away from him. She never had to stoop so low for such things...

She turned around. Fumetsu had already collapsed to the floor, dead asleep. She supposed it was a long day for him.

"Do- Do you know who he is?" the stranger asked cautiously.

Li Xian nodded. "He's a idiot," she said. "The biggest cheapskate you'll ever find. He came here with nothing but his clothes and a bag. He also wants to work here and decided it'd be a good idea to be a student too."

"Is that not... dangerous for his health?" the white-haired girl asked.

"He's beyond that point. I think he's actively trying to commit suicide in the most innocuous way people," the warrior explained. "In all honesty, he keeps on rambling on about the state of the economy and something about bureaucracy... It's like he's constantly depressed, as if he's just an anxiety attack away from dying."

"Oh... I am sorry to ask about such a sensitive topic..." the white-haired maiden replied. "Well... I hope he is better in the future."

Earthy-brown eyes smiled. "He'll be fine. By the way, I never got your name. I'm Li Xian."

The other girl nodded. "I am Míng Huā."

"Oh, that's your name. You just refused to tell me."

A scruffy, utterly average guy looked down at her with deadpan eyes. He just wore whatever other people wore- it's not worth describing it. "Is that really how you treat people you just met?" he said.

The maiden stood up and stared him in the eye- which was pretty easy. There was a three inch difference from her 5'7" height.

Damn, even his height was that of the average male's.

"It is how you treat men who have such high and mighty ideas of their self-worth" Míng Huā replied, "like you."

He tilted his head mockingly. "Yes, how you treat people like you're above them, and that you have the birthright to tell them what they should be doing with their life," he retorted. "You really going to be this bratty?"

"You are-"

"Look, just go to sleep. And get something else to wear. That robe is ridiculous, cheap fanservice."

With that, he sat on the ground and drooped his head downwards. He, like the immortal to his left, fell asleep almost immediately.

"That jerk..." the maiden muttered as she got comfortable with her newly stolen sleeping bag. "I wish he would fall dead."

Li Xian sighed. "I think he's just annoyed at who he thinks you are. You know, he just doesn't seem like the kind of guy to hate people randomly."

"Ever since we met, we have argued," Míng Huā replied. "From the moment we met on the school grounds, it seems like the heavens destined both of us to be in conflict."

She closed her eyes. "That would be for the best. I do not want to be involved with him at all."

"Can't you give him a break?" Li Xian asked. "What if he's your roommate?"

An awkward pause.

Sunlight eyes dimmed. "Then I will never accept him. After all, he is just a insensitive child with no idea of how high the heavens are."

Earth-brown eyes closed. "I find that defiant attitude kinda admirable, though."

"I beg to differ, with that attitude. He probably does not respect his elders, let alone anybody else."

Li Xian and Míng Huā both exhaled. "I hope tomorrow is better."

* * *

The stranger was having a pretty shitty day.

He woke up to the condescending gaze of a beautiful woman- the very face of heaven- and held back from insulting her again. He didn't have the time to destroy her tremendous ego.

So he got up and walked past her, ignoring as many people as he possibly could.

It failed miserably as another guy stood in front of him. A blade pointed towards him.

Hol. That was the name he chose in this foreign world. It was in homage to the many bullets that entered his body before exiting- well, for most of them. The other bullets either got shot out into space once he was thrown out or were removed by hand. Either method was painful, and he fucking remembered every single time.

"And you are?" he asked the man in front of him. "I guess you want a duel?"

They stood off for about five minutes.

"You dare sully a maiden's honor," the self-righteous arse in front of him said. "I cannot let such-"

"I don't have time for you, idiot," Hol snapped. "Fuck off."

So Hol just brushed past him before he ducked down. A blade soon swung right above his back, two inches away.

He ignored it as he entered the nearest shower. He needed to clean up for the day ahead of him before he got something to eat. Clearing out whole spaceships with the bare minimum required fuel. Not to mention that every ship could lead to his last meal...

Hol stripped off his shirt as he pulled out a towel he brought with Lien... not his home currency, acid.

No, not a currency named acid. The chemical acid. The liquids that corrode flesh and metal.

"Make it quick, make it quick," he muttered as he kicked open the shower room door. He didn't have the patience for any formalities.

So he marched into the presence of a naked lady. What wonderful luck.

The former mercenary cursed his shitty fortune. His life was nothing short of fucked up, so he didn't need anything that would mess it up even more.

But noooo, it had to be the naked Míng Huā. It just had to, for fucks sake, as if the author was realistically going to pair the two together.

Just no.

Her horrified sunlight eyes met his absolutely _pissed_ black ones.

"This is just fucking convenient," he said. His voice was a shower of sarcasm. "As if I needed fanservice when I wake up. I'd shoot myself, but that won't get me home."

He turned right around and walked out. He took a few steps before he got dragged back in by a furious maiden...

"Oh, this will be _fun_ ," Hol spat. "I'm going to get my ass beat again, except this time it's by one person instead of a whole spaceship."

Without looking, he twisted out of her grip and walked out the door. He fully expected her to begin whaling on him.

A slap turned his head to the side. He turned slightly to receive a punch to the stomach.

Her body was in full view. While she was beautiful and something to die for, he wasn't like other men who followed their boner. The last time he did that, people died.

Mainly, the people that mattered to him.

He learned his lesson a long time ago.

So he took the pain before he left. He really wished he wouldn't be partnered with her.

 _At least she doesn't know my name, so she can't track me down_.

Breakfast came quickly after he took a quick shower. He took 5 minutes, exactly. Hol never liked to waste time.

Time was of the essence in most of his missions, anyways.

Once his standard equipment for space was on- a battered grey armored bodysuit designed to take impacts- he left. He made sure to take his helmet- a foreboding, sleek grey helmet that covered his face fully along with few accentuating grooves.

After he zipped through the lines (nobody), he immediately picked the seat closest to the exit. He slopped unappetizing food into his mouth- baked beans, sausage, and bagels. He didn't care- it was edible, so he ate it. After all, space crap was worse than this. At least it'd fill his stomach.

Dessicated oatmeal over this? He'd rather take this more nutritionally complete meal.

Without a word, he took some extra food. He didn't trust the pricing in this word, much less the currency.

Which reminded him... how was he going to convert the fucking acid in his pocket to Lien. If he was going to enroll, even with a scholarship, he needed to get a job. Ideally, it'd be within Beacon's walls.

With his luck, he wasn't betting on it.

He left the room as he walked towards the lockers. The test was going to start in half an hour, and he wanted to be early.

"You! You indecent monster!"

Hol ignored the maiden as he continued down the hallway. He wanted to be associated with her as little as possible.

Míng Huā was perhaps the most... aggravating person he had ever met. He could see the aura of a privileged girl on her. He hated it.

So he walked a little faster till she couldn't keep up as he blended in with the crowd.

"You! The lecherous man who-" the swordsman said as he walked away from the corner he was hiding at.

"Fuck off as usual," Hol said as he brushed past him. "Or I'll teleport you into the wall and leave you to suffocate in there."

The former mercenary wasn't kidding. He never did.

"Then prove yourself, or apologize to the lady behind you," the man in front of him said seriously.

It was just too bad the words were so ridiculous. If Míng Huā wanted revenge, she didn't need this fool to do it for her.

"How about I leave you half-dead on the floor before I chuck you off a cliff?" Hol retorted. "You think it's easy to bully an average person like me who sees the body of your fucking goddess, and use that as justification for what's basically assault? You think so. So you know what? I'm damn good at breaking the law, but for once I'll follow it."

He knew what the opponent saw- a person neither blessed or cursed by whatever was above or whatever Hol ceased to believe in. Too bad the man was too dumb to look into his eyes and see his meticulous planning to get the fuck out.

Hol was the person who took "have a plan to kill everybody you meet" seriously. It saved his life multiple times in his profession: entering starships, killing everybody on board no matter how heavily armed, hijacking the starship, and fucking up whoever owned the ship in no particular order.

This time, he couldn't kill the dumbass in front of him. Unfortunately, he was back in human society... not in the asteroid field he worked in for years.

And human society had laws he should probably follow. Now, norms...

"You fight in here, and you'll get your ass shipped out of here," Hol informed the swordsman.

"How dare you lie to-" the dumbass began.

On second thought, Samurai Kissass sounded better. The man's honor was as hard as his boner, and Hol was having none of it.

So he fingered out one of his of his trusty tools and pointed it at a girl far in front of him. She caught his eyes, out of all the people ahead- she could probably distract the swordsman.

Hol pulled the trigger as he let the familiar, disorienting teleportation carry him away, switching spatial coordinates with those of his target.

He then walked away quickly, blending into the crowd.

"I'd probably kill his ass too, if I was there."

Hol looked to the right. A mildly handsome guy was matching his pace, casually starting a conversation. He didn't seem too bad, compared to the people he left behind in the hallway.

"You'd do Beacon a favor," the former mercenary replied.

The teen groaned. "It'd probably make him a martyr though, so probably not worth it. One annoying kid is better than ten of them."

"Fair enough," Hol said. "I'm Hol. You?"

"Bone White," the teen replied. "Came here to get some income and an actual job. You too?"

The mercenary nodded. "Came from a secluded village outside this kingdom. I need different currency. Also need a job, like you."

"Lien isn't exactly pouring in," Bone noted. "The economy's is only growing due to increased productivity brought by mechanization by Atlas. With Atlesian progress, other kingdoms emulate it and thus boosts the economy overall. Thus, the he kind of jobs we want- low hours, high pay- are become more scarce compared to the menial labor jobs the industrialization of the world brought us."

"Basically, I'll probably find a job slaving away in a factory," Hol concluded.

The mirror-eyed teen shook his head up and down. "Pretty much. Fortunately, there are some rumors... I heard a incoming professor wants a teaching assistant."

"Really? Any requirements? Anything?" the former mercenary asked.

"It was pretty terrifying. 'High survivability' was pretty much it," Bone revealed. "Think you could do it? You look pretty tough."

Hol let the idea swirl in his head. "Sounds pretty bad, but I'll consider sending in an application for the job. I need the Lien."

Bone White grinned. "You don't even need to do that. He just needs applicants to head to the stage area after this first test."

The mercenary sighed as he put on his helmet, lighting up little white dots on it. "Well, I guess that makes it much easier," he said.

* * *

Míng Huā wanted to strangle Hol to death. Unfortunately, she couldn't find him.

No, seriously. The guy was so average he blended into the crowd easily. There was no way should could pick him out of the crowd without her cultivator abilities, and she didn't want to unintentionally reveal them yet to the general public.

She was shocked when she met another Foundation Establishment cultivator in this school- Li Xian. Within the mortal world, she expected people who were exactly that- ordinary and stupid.

That had changed with Li Xian. There was no doubt- there was qì within her.

Not to mention she never knew that there were cultivators on Remnant- as evidenced by the three women that she saw within the arena.

Remnant was too mysterious- that was her summary. If she had a chance, she would explore the world and widen her horizons.

But for now, it was time to focus on what was in front of her... or rather what was beyond the cliff

She, like many others, were on top of the sheer drop that led down to a vast forest below them. The wind blew gently, as if blessing them before they embarked.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest," Ozpin began. "You will face great danger-"

"Good speech and all, but I think that's pretty clear. I mean, I assume these pads will launch us off the cliff, right-" a guy with mirror eyes interrupted.

He was launched off immediately despite being in the middle of the student group.

"Your job is to retrieve some relics in a ruined temple to the far north of the forest. The first person you make eye contact with is your partner. Do you have any questions?" the headmaster said, without missing a beat.

Míng Huā shut out all noises, leaving them in the background. The zen-like focus was something she learned while undergoing cultivation.

Her focus stayed on one person, dressed in fully-covering grey armor. It was scratched, and some of the color was worn off to reveal the metal underneath.

That person... interested her. She was sure that nobody she knew wore that suit.

 _He probably needs the suit. He cannot survive without it- how pathetic. It is probably a gift from a rich family member. But in this test, true power is tested. He will not pass. I am sure of it._

With that, all her anxiety escaped her as Ozpin gave her a knowing nod. She was ready to enter the forest, to find the ruins and return. And once she went through the school, she would be able to return to the immortal realm. She was sure of it.

The ramp launched her into the air. She reached her zenith, then fell downwards into the lush environment.

Trees brushed past her as she slowed her descent downwards, landing easily on the ground.

It was truly beautiful all around. And it was so refreshing to see Hol nowhere among the treeline.

She wanted to test her strength now. Míng Huā arrogantly believed that nothing in the forest could even touch her-

So a Beowolf came out and lunged at her.

With a flourish of her hand, a dense ball of light burst through the monster's fur, searing the flesh as to not allow any blood to run out.

It was dead. Duh.

That energy moved to surround her in a veil of brightness, forming a shield that showed her understanding of light.

Cultivators grew not only by growing their base within them, but also by understanding the natural world around them. Through that, they would be able to reach greater heights.

If a man understood the mysteries of space, he could teleport and warp the world around him.

If a woman understood the mysteries of the soul, she could command them to do her bidding and directly damage others' souls.

If a man understood life itself, he could bring people back from the dead.

These feats were only possible if one was a cultivator, because only cultivators had to ability to actually effect these changes upon the world.

For her, she relied on her understanding of light- what it was, its origin, its mystery and power. And in the end it really paid off.

Ten Beowolfs were dead around her, dissipating into the air.

"Mindless beasts. They cannot even compare to the opponents that I have faced," Míng Huā confidently said. "I will slay them all and show the participants true might-"

In the moment she let her guard down, a Nevermore screeched as it plunged downwards.

The maiden froze. This Grimm, she sensed, was too old and powerful for her to have any chances of winning against. She could sense that its feathers were too tough for her to break under normal circumstances.

Her comprehension was in light. Without ample preparation, she had no way to take down the the bird Grimm with a single, resplendent shot. With the speed it dove it, it would slam her into the ground and devour her.

So she had to retreat. Make some room before it made impact.

She didn't get far- only a few steps- before she tripped.

 _Why? Why is this happening to me?_

Míng Huā's body refused to move. She had never felt this feeling before-

She was going to die, all because she couldn't move and fight. And for that, she was ashamed.

It's okay. It's some convoluted reason-

"Obviously, you have little experience with battle."

She looked up at the sky and jumped at the sight of the Nevermore so close to her. It would consume her- well, if it weren't for that one person in that grey combat suit keeping it stuck to the ground.

It spoke in a distorted voice much like growling.

"With enemies weaker than you, you were fine. I guess those were all the battles you ever had, no?" the armored participant continued. "But the instant you faced something beyond your capabilities, you stopped. You froze under pressure. It looks like you're not really to risk your life for this, eh?"

She cried a little at those stinging, true words.

From birth, she was blessed with good talent for cultivation and an environment where she could safely grow and mature. Every day she was fed well and given tools to aid her practice. On occasion, she participated in battles with no risk to her life.

That day she was recognized for having one of the best talents around her ancestor's descendents, she was chosen by her ancestor for his tutelage. His first lesson was to send her down to the mortal realms, where she met a true monster...

And now, she was about to die a world apart from her home. And there was nothing she could do.

"You're a idiot if you give up that easily. Humans can be really resilient."

It pulled out an unfamiliar weapon. Was that a shotgun, like the other participants were talking about...?

"Luckily, you met an idiot that got into a shit ton of fights."

The man pointed his gun into the mouth of the Nevermore and widened the space between the top and bottom of the beak.

"This is a shotgun. It's loaded with armor-piercing ammunition."

He turned his helmet towards Míng Huā.

"I killed about twenty people to scrounge enough money to buy this. With it, I killed about thirty more armored guards with it for money."

And with that, he blew its brains out. The bullets wiped out the top part of the bird's skull, accompanied by brains and blood as it rained down from around them both.

He extended a hand out towards her. "Hope you have some sort of resolve now, dumbass."

That manner of speaking... she took his hand. As he helped her up, she wiped her tears away, before she stood on both of her feet.

 _I want this man as my partner... but... I have a bad feeling about this._

 _There is no way it is that man..._

Míng Huā took his helmet off. Her eyes let loose some more tears as the image of a strong warrior broke away.

"Thanks a lot, you pompous little girl," Hol deadpanned, his black eyes looking straight into her sunlight eyes. "I guess we can't escape each other now. Now that we've made eye contact, we're fucking partners. And I know both of us want to be as far away as possible from each other."

"You... You! You dare look upon my form, and then have the guts to... to... to..." Míng Huā said as she covered her eyes.

"Suck it up. We have a job to do," Hol said as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.

The maiden pulled her hand away. "Don't touch me, you deprived monster!"

A Beowolf lunged from behind her. She wanted it to come and shred her to pieces because the man in front of her defiled her purity. She felt like she could no longer hold her head up anymore.

"By that logic, you shouldn't even be looking at me," Hol replied matter-of-factly as he shot that Grimm with a pistol. "You did see me shirtless."

"That... That is different!" Míng Huā retorted.

He slapped her. "Look. I respect you enough that I didn't let you die back there. I find it stupid that you are such a pathetic mess when you clearly have the ability to fight that giant bird."

"I am not even from this world! I only wish to go home-" the maiden replied.

He frowned. "You're here. You chose to participate in this trial. You can't blame anybody else for that."

Míng Huā punched him with all the strength she had. It didn't even dent the armor he wore, and all she got was more pain.

"You have no idea what I have gone through to get where I am!" she shouted. With this person... she couldn't contain her temper anymore. He was the worst, and she hated him so much.

Hol grabbed her shoulders with such tightness she thought he would break them. His eyes looked into hers with all the intensity of a sun.

"I'm not even from here, but who's complaining here?" he growled. "You going to mope around, bitching that there's no way to get home? Or are you going to stand up and actually do it? It's pitiful."

He let go.

"There's no way I'm going to deal with that," he finished. "So goodbye."

A roar erupted from behind Hol as a black boar burst out of the underbrush. A Boarbatusk.

The mercenary bunkered down, pulling out some sort of ball with a pin in it. Without hesitating, he pulled it out and threw it a few feet away.

It was only inches away when it went off, breaking the silence of the forest as Hol shot backwards into a tree. He hit it like a rock in an avalanche.

He won, of course, as he slid down the broken lower half of the tree to the ground while Míng Huā stood up unharmed.

She couldn't think after whatever he did. He chose to stand in front of her and take whatever came at her, instead of abandoning her. Whatever the case...

That was twice he prevented her suicide by Grimm. She didn't want it to become a pattern.

How could she not feel even slightly touched? (Though she still hated his guts).

Without delay she kneeled down by his body as he moved ever so slightly. There was a dazed look in his eyes- it looked like he knocked his head a little too hard.

The man in front of her was slipping in and out of consciousness, maybe regressing to a younger mental state. She could tell by the light in those portals to the soul.

"Is that... is that..." Hol muttered as he reached out to touch her cheek. "Is that you?"

He said it was such longing and sadness she instinctively slapped his hand away. God, he gave off the same vibes as her suitors.

"I know, I know. I failed you. You deserve the right to hate me all you want."

Finally, he was talking sense- until he veered into weird territory.

He began crying. "I failed you, couldn't protect you as you died. I want to be punished for that. I wanted to die. That's why I took the job. That's why I shot them all and broke their heads open and shot then out to space. I wanted somebody to kill me so I could be with you!"

"So why is it, when it matters, that I don't want to die! Why!?"

Tears ran down his face. "After all this time... I still can't let go of you... Faith... I hate it! I want to live, and I want to die! And now I'm stuck in another world, so I can't even enter the right afterlife! This is why I hate whatever's above! You died, like my family, and I couldn't do anything about it! I failed you! I FAILED!"

He broke down sobbing. "All this time, I was average. My very existence was waiting to embarrass and disappoint you! I know it!"

She could practically taste the self-loathing in his words, and it hurt her too. She wanted to hate him for all those words and for what he did. But...

... she couldn't help but understand his suffering more personally.

 _Did he... did he think I was his dead... lover?_

That thought struck her like thunder as she slapped him on instinct, hitting him back into unconsciousness.

"Oh no... This is bad!" she realized out loud as she grabbed him by the shoulders. As despicable as he was, he was still her teammate now. It'd look bad if he died, here and now.

"Wake up!" she ordered as she shook his shoulders. "Come on, wake up! Don't die on me you lecher!"

His eyes opened.

"Jeez, shut up. My head is ringing," he complained. "I have a killer headache, and it isn't getting better."

Hol closed them again. Close call.

"I don't want to lose you again, Faith."

Shit. His arms wrapped around Míng Huā unexpectedly, pressing her body against his tired, weary own. They had surprising strength in them.

For a moment, the maiden wanted to return the gesture. She could remember how deep and pained his eyes were, as they demanded to be seen. He really didn't want to leave her.

But she was not Faith. She could not give him what he needed. What he needed was to move on from that pain, pain that she did not know how to heal. At the same time, she realized that she had to move forward... just like him.

They were both foreigners, so did they have to be at each other's throats all the time? Maybe... she didn't have to hate him so much.

"... I'm really sorry."

Hol pushed her away in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. He stood up and offered his hand towards her.

"Pretend that never happened," the mercenary said as he looked away and pulled out a pistol. "Wipe it from your memory, please."

Míng Huā looked up at hims, her sunlight eyes blazing with defiance. She took his hand, stood up, and glared at him. She had to keep up her act if she wanted to truly understand the enigma in front of her.

"You jerk. I refuse." She could still remember his tender warmth.


	11. Preview

**_Well, I'm stuck in China for the month. So..._**

 ** _Just you wait as I s***-talk you, U.S., saying things like 'We in the U.S. have the freedom to be stupid'! I'll be back! I'll go back to my summer job! I'll finally enjoy being out of high school! I'll be back, and understand the native language wherever I'm living!_**

 _But you'll never be free of me-_

 ** _Oh, shut the f*** up and let my enjoy my vacation! At least say thanks! I wrote something!_**

 _You took your damn time, while you were at it!_

 ** _I was busy trying to eat real Chinese food. REAL Chinese food!_**

 _It's like American Chinese food, except they label the Calories in the U.S. and they add sugar to everything in the U.S. That way, everyone in China is kinda overweight, but then everyone in the U.S. has weight issues. I mean, you've fluctuated-_

 ** _You might wanna stop before people figure out who I am._**

 _What, as if your profile wasn't enough?_

 ** _Oh, fuck off._**

* * *

 **Preview / More Torture / A Real Teaser**

* * *

"I still can't believe you were naked."

Li Xian sat next to Fumetsu, her face unreadable as she looked far, far away from him. Ever since she had to run his second set of clothes to the aircraft's bathroom, she couldn't stop daydreaming about his damn body.

"Well, it happens a lot when you're as deviant as me," he said. "For example, when I was caught by Atlas, I was naked."

"Not helping," the aspiring Beacon student said. "Don't want to hear about it or how large you are, or if you even have one. I'm done with you."

The immortal smiled and closed his eyes. "Okay, okay, got it."

His hands almost instinctively touched hers. They intertwined slowly, finger by finger.

"Well, on the other hand, if I do get the jobs at Beacon, we could have an illicit teacher-student relationship," Fumetsu absentmindedly said.


End file.
